Nicki Minaj pulled a Lil' Kim when she attended the Haider Ackermann show at Paris Fashion Week on Saturday. The rapper channeled Lil' Kim's infamous 1999 MTV VMAs outfit by sporting a low-cut black top that featured an exposed breast covered up by a diamond-shaped pasty. Nicki took in the show from the front row next to models Caroline de Maigret and Lou Doillon, and she later uploaded photos from the event on Instagram, writing, "#NickiInPARIS hit the wheel so hard make it rotate...
- 3/4/2017
- by Monica Sisavat
- Popsugar.com
Nicki Minaj and Lil’ Kim have had a longstanding feud, fueled by the Queen Bee’s claims that Minaj had stolen Kim’s sound and style early on in her career.
But on Saturday, the 34-year-old rapper showed up at Paris Fashion Week with a look reminiscent of one of Lil’ Kim’s most iconic outfits.
Attending the Haider Ackermann show, Minaj looked stunning in a low-cut black Mugler top — her left breast exposed in full, with her nipple covered by a silver diamond-shaped Agent Provocateur pastie.
It was a flashback to the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, when Kim stole...
But on Saturday, the 34-year-old rapper showed up at Paris Fashion Week with a look reminiscent of one of Lil’ Kim’s most iconic outfits.
Attending the Haider Ackermann show, Minaj looked stunning in a low-cut black Mugler top — her left breast exposed in full, with her nipple covered by a silver diamond-shaped Agent Provocateur pastie.
It was a flashback to the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, when Kim stole...
- 3/4/2017
- by Dave Quinn
- PEOPLE.com
Sherri Shepherd just rolled out the red carpet for any enterprising thieves on the Internet ... by posting a bunch of checks from fans without blurring their accounts. Shepherd says she was doing some cleaning when she came across the old uncashed checks from fans who had purchased CDs at her stand-up comedy gigs. Sherri decided to post 'em on Ig and was nice enough to scratch out the fans' addresses, but left the account numbers visible (sorry crooks,...
- 6/24/2016
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Love and Hip Hop Atlanta star Karen King was arrested last week for financial identity fraud, theft by taking and forgery in Atlanta. In August 2015, the VH1 star allegedly walked into Saks Fifth Avenue at Phipps Plaza and bought nearly $5,000 worth of merchandise under the name, Diane Wodey. Atlanta police believe she may have had help from […]
The post Karen King, ‘Love And Hip Hop Atlanta’ Star, Arrested For Identity Theft appeared first on uInterview.
The post Karen King, ‘Love And Hip Hop Atlanta’ Star, Arrested For Identity Theft appeared first on uInterview.
- 5/31/2016
- by Tyne Phillips
- Uinterview
Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Episode 7 of Supergirl. Read on at your own risk.
So that’s why his eyes glow red.
After spending the first six Supergirl episodes skulking around in the shadows of the Deo and leading us to believe he was an enemy of the Danvers family, Monday’s installment found Hank Henshaw finally revealing his true identity: J’onn J’onzz aka The Martian Manhunter.
(Gold star for those of you who already assumed this in our comments section. Your bragging rights expire in 24 hours!)
RelatedSupergirl: Italia Ricci Joins Cast as...
So that’s why his eyes glow red.
After spending the first six Supergirl episodes skulking around in the shadows of the Deo and leading us to believe he was an enemy of the Danvers family, Monday’s installment found Hank Henshaw finally revealing his true identity: J’onn J’onzz aka The Martian Manhunter.
(Gold star for those of you who already assumed this in our comments section. Your bragging rights expire in 24 hours!)
RelatedSupergirl: Italia Ricci Joins Cast as...
- 12/8/2015
- TVLine.com
Identity theft comedies — or any series with the central conceit that the main character is hiding an oh-so-big secret from the unsuspecting people around him — are a tricky business. The shows generally live and die by how well the writers can stretch the plausibility of that ruse across a season or more. And the creators of “Impastor,” premiering Wednesday night on TV Land, haven’t done themselves any favors with the added absurdity of the show’s particular con. We’re quickly introduced to down-on-his-luck charmer Buddy Dobbs (a game, mugging Michael Rosenbaum) as he explains why his life is over.
- 7/16/2015
- by Ned Ehrbar
- The Wrap
Despite the numerous opportunities out there, most aspiring filmmakers looking for support and mentorship know that the Sundance Institute’s January Screenwriters Lab and June Directing Lab have been two of the most important talent development initiatives in the independent film world for over 30 years. The great quality of the projects that have been workshopped and propelled through these programs have given us some of the most iconic films and filmmakers in recent memory.
But the institute’s commitment to provide opportunities for new voices that represent an eclectic array of background and experiences goes even further with other, lesser known, initiatives that have the potential to become turning points in the artists' careers. Of these, one of the most exciting programs is the Screenwriters Intensive, which is part the Sundance Institute's Diversity Initiative. This is of course a resource that is not only valuable, but crucial as we try to become a more inclusive society that is appreciative and welcoming of stories that exist beyond the mainstream, homogenous noise.
The Screenwriters Intensive is a 1 1/2 day workshop for writers whose work has been encountered by the institute as part of their outreach for the Labs and which they find especially promising. The writers of 10 projects take part in a program whose elements include a hands-on writing workshop led by creative advisor Joan Tewkesbury (“Nashville”), a screening of a recent Sundance film followed by a candid conversation with the filmmaker, a reception with Sundance staff and the extended Sundance community, and one-on-one meetings with two creative advisors to get feedback on their script. With the Intensive, the Sundance Institute aims to present participants with creative tools that they can take back to their own work, provide a space for dialogue and information sharing about the creative process of making a film (and all of the joys and challenges therein), and foster community among storytellers and an ongoing connection with Sundance.
This year the film screened was Rick Famuyiwa’s “Dope,” which premiered earlier this year in Park City and won a Special Jury Prize for Editing. Following the screening Famuyiwa shared anecdotes about the film’s production and the perseverance needed to stand by the core values of his project in spite of outside opposition. Later that evening, during a casual and highly interactive reception, the fellows had the chance to discuss their latest breakthroughs and newly found questions regarding their personal projects with the institute’s staff and other members of the independent film community. Chatting with them, and having witnessed some of the poignant exercises Ms. Tewkesbury uses in the past, there is not doubt in my mind that this was a groundbreaking experience for the entire group.
The following morning the fellows returned to the institute’s L.A offices to have on-on-one conversations with two advisors from a group of talented and achieved professionals that included Kyle Patrick Alvarez (“The Stanford Prison Expriemnt”), Patricia Cardoso (“Real Women Have Curves“),the aforementioned director Rick Famuyiwa (“Dope”), Deena Goldstone (“Identity Theft”), Tanya Hamilton (“Night Catches Us”), Felicia Henderson (“Gossip Girl”), Elgin James (“Little Birds”), Craig Johnson (“The Skeleton Twins”), Kyle Killen (“The Beaver”), Adam Bhala Lough (“Bomb the System”), Joan Tewkesbury herself, and Ligiah Villalobos (“Under the Same Moon”).
The Screenwriters Intensive fellows come from uniquely different backgrounds, and their projects bring original stories that are sure to showcase new and inventive perspectives on the world. Get to know them and their stories as they are on their way to giving us a great batch of new independent films.
To learn more about the Sundance Institute's programs visit Here
Tara Anaise
Project: "Bombay Stories"
Tara Anaïse is an award-winning writer/director whose first feature, "Dark Mountain," was released by Gravitas Ventures in August of 2014. Other recent work includes the upcoming thriller "Housekeeping," on which she’s a producer, and which is set to be released by Lions Gate in late March of 2015. Her short films have screened at festivals worldwide. Tara is currently developing several new projects, including a post-apocalyptic road movie with a female lead who drives a muscle car and kicks a**, and a romantic drama set in Mumbai in both 1968 and the present day that’s loosely based on her own family’s history. She holds an Mfa in film production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania. She can make a mean pumpkin mezcal cocktail and according to an Amazonian curandero, her spirit animal is the black jaguar. She lives and works in Los Angeles
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"Bombay Stories" is a drama centered around an Indian man returning to the city of his birth after decades of living abroad. When tragedy strikes, he recalls the summer of 1968—at that time, he was twenty-one and having a heartbreaking affair with a married woman right before leaving Bombay, and his entire family, behind for his new home in New York. It’s a story about the complexities of familial relationships and the question of whether or not it’s possible to return home.
It’s very loosely inspired by my own family’s history—my father’s side fled Sindh during the Partition of India in 1947 and rebuilt their lives in Mumbai (which at the time was called Bombay). Then my father left Mumbai (of his own volition) for the U.S. And then I fled the east coast for Los Angeles. I like to say I come from a long line of fleers.
The project is in the development stage. Currently working on a rewrite of the script and I’m planning on directing.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
Don’t take the easy way out. There are certain things I know about my characters and I can write them easily and I can write them well. But the most interesting aspects of a character come from the places we know the least. Don’t be afraid to go down the path that’s half in shadow, this is the kind of exploration that leads to the heart of the thing. I’ll definitely be using Joan’s writing exercises to further develop all of my characters. I’ve never done anything like what we did during her seminar. She had us make lists of things drawn from our own personal experiences – three times in your life you’ve known something was wrong but did it anyway, three places to which you never want to return, three times you’ve felt lost, and so on—and then take one item from each list, put the items on our protagonist, and quickly write a short story about the whole thing. It’s a concrete way to use instances from one’s own life to get to the root of the character.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Going into day two was exciting but nerve-wracking. I woke up at 5am wondering how my advisors were going to react to my script (I tend to expect the worst.) Luckily, no one ripped my script up into tiny pieces and threw it back at me. Adam and Tanya were both really great. They had good things to say about the script, along with insightful suggestions for improving it, which I’m going to explore in the next draft. We talked about the writing process. We talked about production. We talked about navigating the industry. Getting advice from two talented, experienced filmmakers who’d been through this many times before was incredibly helpful, not just for this project, but for my career as a filmmaker as well.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
The first thing I’m going to do is take some time to really get at the heart of each and every character. Then I’ll tackle the rewrite and when the script is ready, I’ll reach out to producers.
Shelby Farrell
Project: "Deidra and Laney Rob A Train"
Shelby Farrell is a screenwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. She is a graduate of Emory University where she was awarded the Kikag screenwriter award and the American Film Institute Conservatory where she finished an Mfa in screenwriting. She was recently featured in the Tracking Board's 2014 Young and Hungry List. She currently writes interactive games for Pocket Gems and is in preproduction for her feature "Deidra and Laney Rob A Train." She is repped by Gersh and Principato-Young.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"Deidra and Laney Rob A Train" is a dramedy about two teenage sisters who start robbing freight trains to support their family after their mother goes to jail. This script was my thesis screenplay for AFI and was featured on the Tracking Board's 2014 Young and Hungry List. Sydney Freeland (Sundance Alumni, "Drunktown's Finest") is attached to direct. Currently our reps are approaching select producers with the project, and we are really excited to see where it goes from here.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
All of the writers and I were pushed to find inspiration from our own past experiences during writing exercises. Through this process, I think we all realized that our screenplays are more autobiographical than we perhaps wanted to believe. Not that I've ever robbed a train, but I could.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Having professional advisors is always a blessing. Their feedback was especially useful in this stage because so many people I work with have read multiple drafts. Having fresh eyes on the script really gave me a new perspective. Also since the advisors are independent filmmakers and Sundance alums they really know what we are going through at this stage of development. I also got great advice on what's coming in the next few months as we get this story off the page.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
As far as this project goes, I feel like the script is in a really good place, but I also know that rewrites never end, and I'm excited to use the notes I received for future drafts. I'm also planning on using the writing exercises we learned in Joan Tewkesbury's workshop as I develop my newer projects. Joan taught us some character development tools that can be applied to any project in any stage.
Jared Frieder
Project: "Three Months"
Jared Frieder is a graduate of the Columbia University fiction writing program and his stories can be found in The Collective Press and The Newer York. His screenplay, "Three Months," has taken the top screenwriting prizes at the Austin Film Festival, the Screencraft Comedy Screenplay Contest, and the Big Bear International Film Festival Screenplay Contest. "Three Months" was also chosen for the 2014 Outfest Screenwriting Lab and was the featured script on The Black List online last November. He is currently developing his animated half-hour pilot, "Marathoners," with Bento Box Entertainment. He was accepted to USC’s Screenwriting Mfa on the Edward Volpe Endowed Scholarship before leaving to work on the ABC Family drama, "Chasing Life."
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
My project, "Three Months," tells the coming-of-age story of Caleb Kahn, a queer Ziggy Stardust-loving teenager from Miami who is exposed to HIV the weekend of his high school graduation and has to wait three months to be tested for the disease. It's a comedy, it's a love story, it's a tale of resilience, and it's a deconstruction of how people in crisis sludge through great periods of waiting. The screenplay has been a passion project of mine and I am very grateful to the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition, the Screencraft Comedy Screenplay Contest, and the Big Bear International Film Festival Screenplay Contest for awarding "Three Months" their respective grand prizes. I've also been spoiled by the Outfest Screenwriting Lab and the Sundance Intensive for allowing the script to be workshopped with their brilliant advisors (and some of my all-time heroes.)
After Austin, one of the festival judges (screenwriting phenom, producing master, and all around baller, Oren Uziel) came on board to help bring the script to the screen, along with my management company, Haven Entertainment. We're in the beginning stages of seeing this story come alive and it's pretty much the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The most important lesson I learned from the Intensive's first day is that Joan Tewkesbury is my spirit animal. The second most important lesson I learned from Ms. Tewkesbury (sweetly nicknamed Tewks by the generous souls of Sundance) is that I tend to use jokes as a means of concealing truth and authenticity (something my protagonist does as well. Let's just say I was channeling.) She helped me crack the comedy facade and delve deeper into character, getting in touch with Caleb's fears, insecurities, and dreams. I'm confident that Tewk's direction will not only take Caleb and "Three Months" to the next level, but also elevate my storytelling in the future. And for that, I will forever be in Ms. Tewkesbury's debt.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Sitting down with Kyle Killen was intimidating at first (he's a certifiable story genius who wrote "The Beaver" and created shows like "Lone Star.") But Kyle tapped into my protagonist in ways that previous advisors couldn't. He helped me dissect Caleb, bringing out deeper layers of his character. We then discussed and determined the most effective way of braiding these emotional undercurrents into the narrative. It's safe to say that my mind was blown.
Kyle Alvarez (esteemed director and fast friend) took a different approach and guided me through "Three Months" from a director's perspective, helping me think about casting, locations, and how aspects of the script would translate on screen. Having mentors come at the project from different angles was really enlightening. Again, I feel incredibly spoiled and grateful.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Post-Intensive, I'm taking another pass at "Three Months" (because apparently you're never done writing, or that's what they keep telling me.) I'm stoked to take my Sundance notes and weave them through the script where I see fit. Then it's off to the producers for feedback and hopefully the hunt for a director and cast will commence. Also, there will be thank you notes. Lots and lots of thank you notes: to Sundance, to Tewks, to the Kyles, and to the universe for giving me this opportunity.
David J. Lee
Project: "Found"
David J. Lee spent years as an It professional who dreamed of becoming a performer. He finally made the leap and began working as a professional actor who curiously kept getting offers to direct. Finally he gave in, dropped it all, and proceeded to pursue his Mfa in Film Production at USC where, of course, everyone became more interested in his writing. Dave received USC’s First Film Screenwriting Award in 2013, and his thesis script, "Found," was a top 50 Academy Nicholl semi-finalist. His university-produced short, "Paulie," directed by Andrew Nackman, went on to win the Best Film, Audience Award, and Best Writer prizes at the 2014 NBC Universal Short Cuts Festival. Dave was a 2014 Cape New Writers Fellow; he is working on the feature version of "Paulie" while making eyes at the TV world.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
My feature film script is a crime thriller called “Found”. It’s the story of a night worker at a storage facility whose odd, illicit habit of breaking into storage lockers – and her talent for understanding people's lives through their belongings – force her into action when she discovers evidence of a child abduction in one of the units.
“Found" was my thesis script at USC and was a top-50 Nicholl semi-finalist in 2013. Prior to being accepted into the 2015 Sundance Intensive, it had been selected for the 2014 Cape New Writers Fellowship.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
Obviously, at this point I'm many drafts into my script, which means that I'm in a much different mindset than I was when I was originally coming up with the story. It’s a very analytical, left-brain process. Joan Tewkesbury led us through a series of writing exercises which brought me back to that original creative place, which helped me get a new perspective on my characters.
I guess if you’re looking for a specific lesson, it would be, “If you need a fresh perspective, don’t be afraid to put your characters in seemingly irrelevant situations, just to see how they play out, because you’ll be surprised at the relevant places you end up. At the very least, you often end up learning something new about your characters."
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
I was amazed and honored at how much time each advisor had put into their notes. Time is gold for these folks, and they gave us so much of it. It seemed that most of them had received tremendous support from the Sundance Labs or from programs similar to them when they were younger, so they were all there that day out of a desire to give back.
It’s valuable to receive notes from professionals in that these are folks who have more experience than you and a valuable perspective from having worked within the system, and I received some fantastic, insightful feedback that day. At the same time, they’re only perspectives. A note from a working professional may warrant extra consideration, but ultimately, if it doesn’t resonate with you, then it just doesn’t. In the end you weigh those comments against all the other feedback you’ve received over time.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Keep writing. I’m encouraged by the attention this script has received. When I get it to a place where I’m happy with, then I’ll start looking into getting it made.
Channing Godfrey Peoples
Project: "Miss Juneteenth"
Channing Godfrey Peoples received her Mfa from USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Originally from Texas, she spent her childhood in community theater and has been storytelling ever since. Her films are character driven stories that focus on the resilience of the human spirit, often featuring African-American women at a turning point in their lives. At USC, Channing was awarded funding to direct her documentary, “Carry Me Home”, about the celebratory aspects of African-American Funeral Traditions.
Her narrative Thesis Film, “Red”, is a King Family Foundation Recipient, Jury Award Winner for Directing at the Directors Guild of America Student Film Awards, Panavision New Filmmakers Grant Recipient and nominated for Best Short at Pan African Film Festival and the Africa Movie Academy Awards. Channing won “Best Director” at the Nevada International Film Festival and was honored at the Lois Weber Film Festival in Texas. She wrote, directed and starred in “Red”, which is currently on the festival circuit, most recently screening at Champs-Élysées Film Festival in Paris, France. Channing served as a Time Warner Artist-in-Residence at Howard University in Washington DC. She believes in community involvement and mentors children interested in the arts. Channing is developing her first feature film, “Miss Juneteenth."
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
In Texas, slaves were informed they were free, two long years after 1863's Emancipation Proclamation declared American slaves free. That day was June 19 th, 1865, also known as “Juneteenth”. Today, many communities celebrate the Juneteenth holiday with beauty pageants acknowledging young African-American women who are the descendants of slaves. My story, "Miss Juneteenth," is about one of these women.
Turquoise Jones is a former beauty queen, “Miss Juneteenth 1999”, who lost her pageant's top prize of a college scholarship when an unplanned pregnancy lands her back home tending bar at an aging juke joint. Today, she is a single mother to a teenage girl, who she struggles to keep from going down the same wrong path that she took. She has enrolled her disinterested daughter in this year’s Miss Juneteenth pageant and is fighting to keep her in it.
The project is in development and is based in my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. Neil Creque Williams ("David’s Reverie") is attached as Producer.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
On our first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab, Joan Tewkesbury lead an incredible writing workshop that challenged me to look deeper into the emotional journey of my story. I was seeking a way to take my script to a deeper emotional level and the workshop certainly aided that endeavor. The lesson for me was to connect to my characters through personal experience and emotion and not be resistant to other possibilities for my story.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The advisors were incredible and I am in awe of their insight and accomplishments. I was delighted to receive feedback from professionals whose work I have long admired. They provided constructive feedback and challenged me to think of the script in new ways. I also enjoyed exchanging ideas with the other fellows at the Intensive and I was delighted to be surrounded by such diverse talent.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I am now revisiting the script with a renewed intensity. I will be directing my film, "Miss Juneteenth," so my producer, Neil Creque Williams and I have identified our locations and begun preliminary casting. Our next step is crowdfunding and to continue to apply for support.
Maya Perez
Project: "Umwana"
Maya Perez is a screenwriter and fiction writer. She is a consulting producer for the Emmy Award- winning television series "On Story: Presented by Austin Film Festival," now entering its fifth season on PBS, and co-editor of the book On Story: Screenwriters and Their Craft (University of Texas Press, October 2013). She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College and is a Michener fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. She grew up in Kenya, Zambia, and the United States and lives in Austin, Texas.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
My project is a feature script, "Umwana," a domestic drama about an American teen who goes to rural Zambia to meet and live with her father and his family. More foreign to her than the cultural differences is the experience of being a member of a family.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
It was great to be reminded of the importance of specificity when depicting characters, and also, how to pull from personal experience without making your characters reflections of yourself. In the workshop we were assigned numerous writing exercises and, though initially intimidating, it was stimulating to be assured there's no limit to the new stories we can quickly craft from scratch. We often think of time as the enemy, in that we don't have enough of it in which to do the work. But sometimes I think I give myself too much time. Some of my better, more visceral writing has been generated under the gun, so to speak.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
One of my advisors hit me with a barrage of questions as soon as I sat down - What is Cassie feeling here? What does Joseph look like? Is it what she expected? What if this happened? What if that happened? So many questions that I started doubting the story's weight altogether. But she kept on and wouldn't let up, so I just wrote them all down until I finally had an answer and then another and eventually realized I know exactly what this story and these characters are about. I had to be sort of beaten down and thrown off balance in order to find the railing. It was terrific. Another advisor - who fortunately came right after - grabbed my shoulders and said he would stalk me until I made this film. He offered to make introductions to agents, managers, producers, and to be there for every draft and question I might have along the way. It was an invaluable experience, to sit down with these talented, professional writers who had read my script so closely and had such constructive questions and encouragement. It felt as though they were as invested in its success as I am.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
My proposed new opening to the script was met with enthusiasm, so I'll make that change, do another revision on the script, and then submit it for the Screenwriters Lab. It was a finalist last year, so hopefully it will go through this year and I'll be able to take advantage of a full week at the Lab to prepare it for production. One of my advisors generously sent me the look book he's using for his current project, and I'm making one of those for "Umwana" as well as researching what shooting on location in Zambia will entail.
Rodrigo Reyes
Project: "Charlie"
Rodrigo Reyes was born in Mexico City in 1983. Supported by the Mexican Ministry of Film, his acclaimed 2012 feature documentary "Purgatorio" featured visceral and intimate portraits of the Us- Mexico border. The film premiered in competition at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival and Guadalajara International Film Festival, touring more than 40 festivals including MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight, and winning several jury prizes including the Michael Moore Award for Best Documentary at the Ann Arbor Film Festival. "Purgatorio" has been released theatrically on over 100 screens throughout Mexico, touring Latin America, Spain, and over 30 American cities. In 2013 Filmmaker Magazine named Rodrigo one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film, and in 2014 he was awarded the Tribeca Film Institute Heineken Voices Grant for his upcoming documentary "Sanson And Me," as well as the Canon Filmmaker Award for his hybrid peach picker portrait "Lupe Under The Sun," currently in post-production. Rodrigo attended Uc San Diego, as well as colleges in Madrid and Mexico City, earning a degree in International Studies. He currently lives in California’s Central Valley where he works as an interpreter in the California Superior Court.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"Charlie" is a story about a mother and son living in the heartland of America, who hide a dark secret that is tearing them apart, threatening them with destruction. It’s a twisted, existential fairy-tale that tackles estrangement, loneliness and violence in a unique way. Aside from Sundance, the film has received the support of Nalip’s Latino Media Market.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
I was surprised by some of the tools used in the labs. There was an element of tapping into the subconscious using semi-dada techniques that really clicked with me. The key was coming in with an open mind.
Before the Labs, I felt the project was close to a final draft. That has since been atomized and torn apart at the hinges, which is fantastic, actually. The Intensive helped me pull away from the rut I didn’t know I was in and look at my script with a naked, honest perspective.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Often as independent filmmakers we feel threatened by the industry, their perspectives are senses as criticisms instead of critiques. The Lab did a great job of inviting you to a conversation, not a lecture or a dictate. I felt I could take the advice that honestly connected with me and integrate it with my script, while also fielding key questions to the advisors in a safe space.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
It’s all in my hands now. I have to integrate the conversations, critiques and perspectives gleaned from this process into a new draft.
Luke Uriah Slendebroek
Project: “Sophia/Gordita”
Luke Uriah Slendebroek is a graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television Mfa directing program. While at UCLA, Luke's films have been awarded The Hollywood Foreign Press Award, The Four Sister’s Award, The Carroll Sax Award in Motion Picture and Television Production, the Edie and Lew Wasserman Film Production Fellowship, and two Motion Picture Association of America Awards. Luke has directed a short documentary for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and he has directed a short film for the Oscar-winning producer and director Robert "Bobby" Moresco as part of an interdisciplinary collaboration at UCLA. He has also directed a number of industrial films for Fortune 500 companies. Luke's films favor the underdogs, involve fantastical worlds, and tend to explore that brief period between childhood and adulthood.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
“Sophia/Gordita” is a coming of age western based on the incredible true story of teenage madam that served the migrant farming communities of the midwest.
Aleksandar Marinovich has stepped on board to help produce the film. Currently we are raising money to finance the film with a goal of shooting in September, 2016.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The Sundance Intensive was an amazing and immersive experience. The writing techniques I learned during the two days will be crucial as I dive into the next draft of my screenplay entitled “Sophia/Gordita”. Through this workshop, I feel confident to tackle the issues of my screenplay and to dig deeper into motivations that drive my lead character, Sophia.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Patricia Cardoso and Ligiah Villalobos were incredibly generous to offer their guidence and direction on my screenplay “Sophia/Gordita”. Their feedback, although at times challenging, pushed me to dig deeper into the character of Sophia. What really drives her to make the choices in act one that sends her life into a downward spiral during the subsequent acts? As I work through these issues, the outcome will hopefully be a character that no one has ever seen before on the screen, an anti-hero for a new generation.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I plan on doing another rewrite utilizing the tools and techniques I learned from the Intensive. After the next draft, I will get more feedback from my producer and my film collective, Vices of Reason. Once I get a draft that I’m comfortable with, I’m going to get the script in the hands of anyone that’s willing to read it as well as continue to raise money to finance the film.
Vivian Tse
Project: "These Animals"
Vivian Tse is a filmmaker making both narrative and documentary films. She was a Colonist at the 2013 Nantucket Screenwriting Colony with her feature script "Joe Boy," which was also selected for the 2014 Ifp Transatlantic Partners Program. Tse participated in the 2014 Pov Hackathon with the transmedia documentary film "The Angola Project." Originally from San Francisco, she graduated from the University of Southern California.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"These Animals" is the story of an astronaut's last year on Earth after she agrees to crew a one-way mission to Mars. It's about what the last year of someone's life would be like if she made a decision with stakes that high, what happens to her family and the people around her, the people she loves and who love her.
We're currently in the development stage, trying to put the financing together. Sundance and the A3 foundation was kind enough to give us a grant. And we're in post on a short version of the project which we shot late last year.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
It took a bit of processing but the most rewarding lesson, or at least the one that stuck with me most, was using yourself to dig deeper into your character's journey. Which sounds obvious and certainly its something you're already doing as a writer with everything you write, but you can always go deeper. learning that there is always more to dig up, more of you to add, which is horrifying and invigorating at the same time.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The advisors were amazing. They're very passionate - it's great. i found it invaluable, even when I didn't agree with the notes. it lets you know how people are reading, understanding and thinking about your story. their perspective was so helpful and it helps to look at my characters and my story in a new way. writing can be very isolating so it's always great to talk to someone who is doing what you're doing. and they share their war stories, telling you to reimagine a scene because they did something similar and it went to shit so don't forget to think about this or that, or that space ships are expensive so maybe try to stay out of a ship as a location. i don't have any space ships in the film but you get my point.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
A re-write for one, casting, financing the rest of the film. Keep pushing forward, hustling, like everyone does, until you make your film.
Diego Velasco & Carolina Paiz
Project: "Los Invadidos"
Diego Velasco and Carolina Paiz, a husband and wife writing team, are currently working on "Los Invadidos," a thriller which Velasco will also direct.
Writer/director Diego Velasco was born in the Us and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Diego’s short, "Cédula Ciudadano," got him invited into the Fox Searchlab program after winning the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival. In 2003, Diego moved to Los Angeles and formed Open Studios with his wife, a production company meant to make the films they wanted to see in the world. In 2010, Diego made his feature debut with "La Hora Cero" (The Zero Hour). Set in Caracas during the 24-hours of a controversial medical strike, the film followed La Parca, a tattooed hit-man, as he takes an elite hospital hostage in an attempt to save his wounded girlfriend and her child. The film became the highest grossing Venezuelan film of its time. It has won over 35 awards at International festivals and secured distribution in five continents. Currently it has been optioned for an English language remake. In November of 2011, Diego was featured as one the Ten Mover and Reshapers of Latin American Cinema by Variety Magazine.
Growing up in Guatemala during the civil war, Carolina Paiz spent much of her time indoors, reading and watching television, escapes which later provided the foundation for her career as a writer for film and TV. At 15, she left Guatemala for Kent, a boarding school in Connecticut, where she was the first non- native English speaker to be awarded the Robert S. Hillyard award for her achievements in creative writing. Carolina went on to study English and Latin American Studies at Tulane University. The short stories she wrote there were later published by the Caribbean Writer. One of these, Sleep Comes Suddenly, was honored with the Canute A. Brodhurst Award. In 2006, she landed a position as a staff writer on ABC’s "Grey’s Anatomy." She later went on to write on NBC’s "Lipstick Jungle," CBS’s "The Defenders," Fox’s "Gang Related" and currently, Fox’s "Runner." She also developed a series for Fox, "Queen Of the South," based on the hugely successful Spanish novel. Between television projects, Carolina co- wrote and produced the Venezuelan feature "La Hora Cero," the highest grossing Venezuelan film in history.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
The film follows a couple that has just lost their only child and now find themselves on different sides of the spiritual debate. They’re forced to face their problems when they inherit a remote farm in the Venezuelan plains. Hoping for a new start, they soon learn the farm has been invaded by squatters and that there’s more to reality than what you can see…
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The first day was revelatory. By doing exhaustive and highly personal writing exercises that we then shared with the entire class, we both realized that we hadn't fully tapped into our own fears and desires in writing the characters in our feature. We realized there was far more of us in these characters than we'd anticipated and that embracing that would actually deepen them. Rewriting the script now, the characters have come to life by simply putting ourselves in their shoes.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Our advisors were completely different and had very different points of view on the script, yet both sets of notes complimented each other quite well at the end of the day. Their points of view were enlightening. We had exhausted our resources by asking for notes from every trusted friend and colleague that we knew, and we'd gotten to the point we were afraid they'd stop taking our calls for fear that we'd make them read the script again. We were desperate for fresh eyes from people that didn't know us, didn't know the project, and had no emotional stake in any of it. But what made it truly amazing was the fact that we got to dive in with such skilled writers, and such generous people, and that they truly took the time to give us deep and insightful notes.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
We are currently rewriting the script as per what we've learned and hope to begin our search for financing soon!
But the institute’s commitment to provide opportunities for new voices that represent an eclectic array of background and experiences goes even further with other, lesser known, initiatives that have the potential to become turning points in the artists' careers. Of these, one of the most exciting programs is the Screenwriters Intensive, which is part the Sundance Institute's Diversity Initiative. This is of course a resource that is not only valuable, but crucial as we try to become a more inclusive society that is appreciative and welcoming of stories that exist beyond the mainstream, homogenous noise.
The Screenwriters Intensive is a 1 1/2 day workshop for writers whose work has been encountered by the institute as part of their outreach for the Labs and which they find especially promising. The writers of 10 projects take part in a program whose elements include a hands-on writing workshop led by creative advisor Joan Tewkesbury (“Nashville”), a screening of a recent Sundance film followed by a candid conversation with the filmmaker, a reception with Sundance staff and the extended Sundance community, and one-on-one meetings with two creative advisors to get feedback on their script. With the Intensive, the Sundance Institute aims to present participants with creative tools that they can take back to their own work, provide a space for dialogue and information sharing about the creative process of making a film (and all of the joys and challenges therein), and foster community among storytellers and an ongoing connection with Sundance.
This year the film screened was Rick Famuyiwa’s “Dope,” which premiered earlier this year in Park City and won a Special Jury Prize for Editing. Following the screening Famuyiwa shared anecdotes about the film’s production and the perseverance needed to stand by the core values of his project in spite of outside opposition. Later that evening, during a casual and highly interactive reception, the fellows had the chance to discuss their latest breakthroughs and newly found questions regarding their personal projects with the institute’s staff and other members of the independent film community. Chatting with them, and having witnessed some of the poignant exercises Ms. Tewkesbury uses in the past, there is not doubt in my mind that this was a groundbreaking experience for the entire group.
The following morning the fellows returned to the institute’s L.A offices to have on-on-one conversations with two advisors from a group of talented and achieved professionals that included Kyle Patrick Alvarez (“The Stanford Prison Expriemnt”), Patricia Cardoso (“Real Women Have Curves“),the aforementioned director Rick Famuyiwa (“Dope”), Deena Goldstone (“Identity Theft”), Tanya Hamilton (“Night Catches Us”), Felicia Henderson (“Gossip Girl”), Elgin James (“Little Birds”), Craig Johnson (“The Skeleton Twins”), Kyle Killen (“The Beaver”), Adam Bhala Lough (“Bomb the System”), Joan Tewkesbury herself, and Ligiah Villalobos (“Under the Same Moon”).
The Screenwriters Intensive fellows come from uniquely different backgrounds, and their projects bring original stories that are sure to showcase new and inventive perspectives on the world. Get to know them and their stories as they are on their way to giving us a great batch of new independent films.
To learn more about the Sundance Institute's programs visit Here
Tara Anaise
Project: "Bombay Stories"
Tara Anaïse is an award-winning writer/director whose first feature, "Dark Mountain," was released by Gravitas Ventures in August of 2014. Other recent work includes the upcoming thriller "Housekeeping," on which she’s a producer, and which is set to be released by Lions Gate in late March of 2015. Her short films have screened at festivals worldwide. Tara is currently developing several new projects, including a post-apocalyptic road movie with a female lead who drives a muscle car and kicks a**, and a romantic drama set in Mumbai in both 1968 and the present day that’s loosely based on her own family’s history. She holds an Mfa in film production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania. She can make a mean pumpkin mezcal cocktail and according to an Amazonian curandero, her spirit animal is the black jaguar. She lives and works in Los Angeles
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"Bombay Stories" is a drama centered around an Indian man returning to the city of his birth after decades of living abroad. When tragedy strikes, he recalls the summer of 1968—at that time, he was twenty-one and having a heartbreaking affair with a married woman right before leaving Bombay, and his entire family, behind for his new home in New York. It’s a story about the complexities of familial relationships and the question of whether or not it’s possible to return home.
It’s very loosely inspired by my own family’s history—my father’s side fled Sindh during the Partition of India in 1947 and rebuilt their lives in Mumbai (which at the time was called Bombay). Then my father left Mumbai (of his own volition) for the U.S. And then I fled the east coast for Los Angeles. I like to say I come from a long line of fleers.
The project is in the development stage. Currently working on a rewrite of the script and I’m planning on directing.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
Don’t take the easy way out. There are certain things I know about my characters and I can write them easily and I can write them well. But the most interesting aspects of a character come from the places we know the least. Don’t be afraid to go down the path that’s half in shadow, this is the kind of exploration that leads to the heart of the thing. I’ll definitely be using Joan’s writing exercises to further develop all of my characters. I’ve never done anything like what we did during her seminar. She had us make lists of things drawn from our own personal experiences – three times in your life you’ve known something was wrong but did it anyway, three places to which you never want to return, three times you’ve felt lost, and so on—and then take one item from each list, put the items on our protagonist, and quickly write a short story about the whole thing. It’s a concrete way to use instances from one’s own life to get to the root of the character.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Going into day two was exciting but nerve-wracking. I woke up at 5am wondering how my advisors were going to react to my script (I tend to expect the worst.) Luckily, no one ripped my script up into tiny pieces and threw it back at me. Adam and Tanya were both really great. They had good things to say about the script, along with insightful suggestions for improving it, which I’m going to explore in the next draft. We talked about the writing process. We talked about production. We talked about navigating the industry. Getting advice from two talented, experienced filmmakers who’d been through this many times before was incredibly helpful, not just for this project, but for my career as a filmmaker as well.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
The first thing I’m going to do is take some time to really get at the heart of each and every character. Then I’ll tackle the rewrite and when the script is ready, I’ll reach out to producers.
Shelby Farrell
Project: "Deidra and Laney Rob A Train"
Shelby Farrell is a screenwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. She is a graduate of Emory University where she was awarded the Kikag screenwriter award and the American Film Institute Conservatory where she finished an Mfa in screenwriting. She was recently featured in the Tracking Board's 2014 Young and Hungry List. She currently writes interactive games for Pocket Gems and is in preproduction for her feature "Deidra and Laney Rob A Train." She is repped by Gersh and Principato-Young.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"Deidra and Laney Rob A Train" is a dramedy about two teenage sisters who start robbing freight trains to support their family after their mother goes to jail. This script was my thesis screenplay for AFI and was featured on the Tracking Board's 2014 Young and Hungry List. Sydney Freeland (Sundance Alumni, "Drunktown's Finest") is attached to direct. Currently our reps are approaching select producers with the project, and we are really excited to see where it goes from here.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
All of the writers and I were pushed to find inspiration from our own past experiences during writing exercises. Through this process, I think we all realized that our screenplays are more autobiographical than we perhaps wanted to believe. Not that I've ever robbed a train, but I could.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Having professional advisors is always a blessing. Their feedback was especially useful in this stage because so many people I work with have read multiple drafts. Having fresh eyes on the script really gave me a new perspective. Also since the advisors are independent filmmakers and Sundance alums they really know what we are going through at this stage of development. I also got great advice on what's coming in the next few months as we get this story off the page.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
As far as this project goes, I feel like the script is in a really good place, but I also know that rewrites never end, and I'm excited to use the notes I received for future drafts. I'm also planning on using the writing exercises we learned in Joan Tewkesbury's workshop as I develop my newer projects. Joan taught us some character development tools that can be applied to any project in any stage.
Jared Frieder
Project: "Three Months"
Jared Frieder is a graduate of the Columbia University fiction writing program and his stories can be found in The Collective Press and The Newer York. His screenplay, "Three Months," has taken the top screenwriting prizes at the Austin Film Festival, the Screencraft Comedy Screenplay Contest, and the Big Bear International Film Festival Screenplay Contest. "Three Months" was also chosen for the 2014 Outfest Screenwriting Lab and was the featured script on The Black List online last November. He is currently developing his animated half-hour pilot, "Marathoners," with Bento Box Entertainment. He was accepted to USC’s Screenwriting Mfa on the Edward Volpe Endowed Scholarship before leaving to work on the ABC Family drama, "Chasing Life."
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
My project, "Three Months," tells the coming-of-age story of Caleb Kahn, a queer Ziggy Stardust-loving teenager from Miami who is exposed to HIV the weekend of his high school graduation and has to wait three months to be tested for the disease. It's a comedy, it's a love story, it's a tale of resilience, and it's a deconstruction of how people in crisis sludge through great periods of waiting. The screenplay has been a passion project of mine and I am very grateful to the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition, the Screencraft Comedy Screenplay Contest, and the Big Bear International Film Festival Screenplay Contest for awarding "Three Months" their respective grand prizes. I've also been spoiled by the Outfest Screenwriting Lab and the Sundance Intensive for allowing the script to be workshopped with their brilliant advisors (and some of my all-time heroes.)
After Austin, one of the festival judges (screenwriting phenom, producing master, and all around baller, Oren Uziel) came on board to help bring the script to the screen, along with my management company, Haven Entertainment. We're in the beginning stages of seeing this story come alive and it's pretty much the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The most important lesson I learned from the Intensive's first day is that Joan Tewkesbury is my spirit animal. The second most important lesson I learned from Ms. Tewkesbury (sweetly nicknamed Tewks by the generous souls of Sundance) is that I tend to use jokes as a means of concealing truth and authenticity (something my protagonist does as well. Let's just say I was channeling.) She helped me crack the comedy facade and delve deeper into character, getting in touch with Caleb's fears, insecurities, and dreams. I'm confident that Tewk's direction will not only take Caleb and "Three Months" to the next level, but also elevate my storytelling in the future. And for that, I will forever be in Ms. Tewkesbury's debt.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Sitting down with Kyle Killen was intimidating at first (he's a certifiable story genius who wrote "The Beaver" and created shows like "Lone Star.") But Kyle tapped into my protagonist in ways that previous advisors couldn't. He helped me dissect Caleb, bringing out deeper layers of his character. We then discussed and determined the most effective way of braiding these emotional undercurrents into the narrative. It's safe to say that my mind was blown.
Kyle Alvarez (esteemed director and fast friend) took a different approach and guided me through "Three Months" from a director's perspective, helping me think about casting, locations, and how aspects of the script would translate on screen. Having mentors come at the project from different angles was really enlightening. Again, I feel incredibly spoiled and grateful.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Post-Intensive, I'm taking another pass at "Three Months" (because apparently you're never done writing, or that's what they keep telling me.) I'm stoked to take my Sundance notes and weave them through the script where I see fit. Then it's off to the producers for feedback and hopefully the hunt for a director and cast will commence. Also, there will be thank you notes. Lots and lots of thank you notes: to Sundance, to Tewks, to the Kyles, and to the universe for giving me this opportunity.
David J. Lee
Project: "Found"
David J. Lee spent years as an It professional who dreamed of becoming a performer. He finally made the leap and began working as a professional actor who curiously kept getting offers to direct. Finally he gave in, dropped it all, and proceeded to pursue his Mfa in Film Production at USC where, of course, everyone became more interested in his writing. Dave received USC’s First Film Screenwriting Award in 2013, and his thesis script, "Found," was a top 50 Academy Nicholl semi-finalist. His university-produced short, "Paulie," directed by Andrew Nackman, went on to win the Best Film, Audience Award, and Best Writer prizes at the 2014 NBC Universal Short Cuts Festival. Dave was a 2014 Cape New Writers Fellow; he is working on the feature version of "Paulie" while making eyes at the TV world.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
My feature film script is a crime thriller called “Found”. It’s the story of a night worker at a storage facility whose odd, illicit habit of breaking into storage lockers – and her talent for understanding people's lives through their belongings – force her into action when she discovers evidence of a child abduction in one of the units.
“Found" was my thesis script at USC and was a top-50 Nicholl semi-finalist in 2013. Prior to being accepted into the 2015 Sundance Intensive, it had been selected for the 2014 Cape New Writers Fellowship.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
Obviously, at this point I'm many drafts into my script, which means that I'm in a much different mindset than I was when I was originally coming up with the story. It’s a very analytical, left-brain process. Joan Tewkesbury led us through a series of writing exercises which brought me back to that original creative place, which helped me get a new perspective on my characters.
I guess if you’re looking for a specific lesson, it would be, “If you need a fresh perspective, don’t be afraid to put your characters in seemingly irrelevant situations, just to see how they play out, because you’ll be surprised at the relevant places you end up. At the very least, you often end up learning something new about your characters."
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
I was amazed and honored at how much time each advisor had put into their notes. Time is gold for these folks, and they gave us so much of it. It seemed that most of them had received tremendous support from the Sundance Labs or from programs similar to them when they were younger, so they were all there that day out of a desire to give back.
It’s valuable to receive notes from professionals in that these are folks who have more experience than you and a valuable perspective from having worked within the system, and I received some fantastic, insightful feedback that day. At the same time, they’re only perspectives. A note from a working professional may warrant extra consideration, but ultimately, if it doesn’t resonate with you, then it just doesn’t. In the end you weigh those comments against all the other feedback you’ve received over time.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Keep writing. I’m encouraged by the attention this script has received. When I get it to a place where I’m happy with, then I’ll start looking into getting it made.
Channing Godfrey Peoples
Project: "Miss Juneteenth"
Channing Godfrey Peoples received her Mfa from USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Originally from Texas, she spent her childhood in community theater and has been storytelling ever since. Her films are character driven stories that focus on the resilience of the human spirit, often featuring African-American women at a turning point in their lives. At USC, Channing was awarded funding to direct her documentary, “Carry Me Home”, about the celebratory aspects of African-American Funeral Traditions.
Her narrative Thesis Film, “Red”, is a King Family Foundation Recipient, Jury Award Winner for Directing at the Directors Guild of America Student Film Awards, Panavision New Filmmakers Grant Recipient and nominated for Best Short at Pan African Film Festival and the Africa Movie Academy Awards. Channing won “Best Director” at the Nevada International Film Festival and was honored at the Lois Weber Film Festival in Texas. She wrote, directed and starred in “Red”, which is currently on the festival circuit, most recently screening at Champs-Élysées Film Festival in Paris, France. Channing served as a Time Warner Artist-in-Residence at Howard University in Washington DC. She believes in community involvement and mentors children interested in the arts. Channing is developing her first feature film, “Miss Juneteenth."
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
In Texas, slaves were informed they were free, two long years after 1863's Emancipation Proclamation declared American slaves free. That day was June 19 th, 1865, also known as “Juneteenth”. Today, many communities celebrate the Juneteenth holiday with beauty pageants acknowledging young African-American women who are the descendants of slaves. My story, "Miss Juneteenth," is about one of these women.
Turquoise Jones is a former beauty queen, “Miss Juneteenth 1999”, who lost her pageant's top prize of a college scholarship when an unplanned pregnancy lands her back home tending bar at an aging juke joint. Today, she is a single mother to a teenage girl, who she struggles to keep from going down the same wrong path that she took. She has enrolled her disinterested daughter in this year’s Miss Juneteenth pageant and is fighting to keep her in it.
The project is in development and is based in my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. Neil Creque Williams ("David’s Reverie") is attached as Producer.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
On our first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab, Joan Tewkesbury lead an incredible writing workshop that challenged me to look deeper into the emotional journey of my story. I was seeking a way to take my script to a deeper emotional level and the workshop certainly aided that endeavor. The lesson for me was to connect to my characters through personal experience and emotion and not be resistant to other possibilities for my story.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The advisors were incredible and I am in awe of their insight and accomplishments. I was delighted to receive feedback from professionals whose work I have long admired. They provided constructive feedback and challenged me to think of the script in new ways. I also enjoyed exchanging ideas with the other fellows at the Intensive and I was delighted to be surrounded by such diverse talent.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I am now revisiting the script with a renewed intensity. I will be directing my film, "Miss Juneteenth," so my producer, Neil Creque Williams and I have identified our locations and begun preliminary casting. Our next step is crowdfunding and to continue to apply for support.
Maya Perez
Project: "Umwana"
Maya Perez is a screenwriter and fiction writer. She is a consulting producer for the Emmy Award- winning television series "On Story: Presented by Austin Film Festival," now entering its fifth season on PBS, and co-editor of the book On Story: Screenwriters and Their Craft (University of Texas Press, October 2013). She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College and is a Michener fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. She grew up in Kenya, Zambia, and the United States and lives in Austin, Texas.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
My project is a feature script, "Umwana," a domestic drama about an American teen who goes to rural Zambia to meet and live with her father and his family. More foreign to her than the cultural differences is the experience of being a member of a family.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
It was great to be reminded of the importance of specificity when depicting characters, and also, how to pull from personal experience without making your characters reflections of yourself. In the workshop we were assigned numerous writing exercises and, though initially intimidating, it was stimulating to be assured there's no limit to the new stories we can quickly craft from scratch. We often think of time as the enemy, in that we don't have enough of it in which to do the work. But sometimes I think I give myself too much time. Some of my better, more visceral writing has been generated under the gun, so to speak.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
One of my advisors hit me with a barrage of questions as soon as I sat down - What is Cassie feeling here? What does Joseph look like? Is it what she expected? What if this happened? What if that happened? So many questions that I started doubting the story's weight altogether. But she kept on and wouldn't let up, so I just wrote them all down until I finally had an answer and then another and eventually realized I know exactly what this story and these characters are about. I had to be sort of beaten down and thrown off balance in order to find the railing. It was terrific. Another advisor - who fortunately came right after - grabbed my shoulders and said he would stalk me until I made this film. He offered to make introductions to agents, managers, producers, and to be there for every draft and question I might have along the way. It was an invaluable experience, to sit down with these talented, professional writers who had read my script so closely and had such constructive questions and encouragement. It felt as though they were as invested in its success as I am.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
My proposed new opening to the script was met with enthusiasm, so I'll make that change, do another revision on the script, and then submit it for the Screenwriters Lab. It was a finalist last year, so hopefully it will go through this year and I'll be able to take advantage of a full week at the Lab to prepare it for production. One of my advisors generously sent me the look book he's using for his current project, and I'm making one of those for "Umwana" as well as researching what shooting on location in Zambia will entail.
Rodrigo Reyes
Project: "Charlie"
Rodrigo Reyes was born in Mexico City in 1983. Supported by the Mexican Ministry of Film, his acclaimed 2012 feature documentary "Purgatorio" featured visceral and intimate portraits of the Us- Mexico border. The film premiered in competition at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival and Guadalajara International Film Festival, touring more than 40 festivals including MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight, and winning several jury prizes including the Michael Moore Award for Best Documentary at the Ann Arbor Film Festival. "Purgatorio" has been released theatrically on over 100 screens throughout Mexico, touring Latin America, Spain, and over 30 American cities. In 2013 Filmmaker Magazine named Rodrigo one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film, and in 2014 he was awarded the Tribeca Film Institute Heineken Voices Grant for his upcoming documentary "Sanson And Me," as well as the Canon Filmmaker Award for his hybrid peach picker portrait "Lupe Under The Sun," currently in post-production. Rodrigo attended Uc San Diego, as well as colleges in Madrid and Mexico City, earning a degree in International Studies. He currently lives in California’s Central Valley where he works as an interpreter in the California Superior Court.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"Charlie" is a story about a mother and son living in the heartland of America, who hide a dark secret that is tearing them apart, threatening them with destruction. It’s a twisted, existential fairy-tale that tackles estrangement, loneliness and violence in a unique way. Aside from Sundance, the film has received the support of Nalip’s Latino Media Market.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
I was surprised by some of the tools used in the labs. There was an element of tapping into the subconscious using semi-dada techniques that really clicked with me. The key was coming in with an open mind.
Before the Labs, I felt the project was close to a final draft. That has since been atomized and torn apart at the hinges, which is fantastic, actually. The Intensive helped me pull away from the rut I didn’t know I was in and look at my script with a naked, honest perspective.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Often as independent filmmakers we feel threatened by the industry, their perspectives are senses as criticisms instead of critiques. The Lab did a great job of inviting you to a conversation, not a lecture or a dictate. I felt I could take the advice that honestly connected with me and integrate it with my script, while also fielding key questions to the advisors in a safe space.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
It’s all in my hands now. I have to integrate the conversations, critiques and perspectives gleaned from this process into a new draft.
Luke Uriah Slendebroek
Project: “Sophia/Gordita”
Luke Uriah Slendebroek is a graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television Mfa directing program. While at UCLA, Luke's films have been awarded The Hollywood Foreign Press Award, The Four Sister’s Award, The Carroll Sax Award in Motion Picture and Television Production, the Edie and Lew Wasserman Film Production Fellowship, and two Motion Picture Association of America Awards. Luke has directed a short documentary for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and he has directed a short film for the Oscar-winning producer and director Robert "Bobby" Moresco as part of an interdisciplinary collaboration at UCLA. He has also directed a number of industrial films for Fortune 500 companies. Luke's films favor the underdogs, involve fantastical worlds, and tend to explore that brief period between childhood and adulthood.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
“Sophia/Gordita” is a coming of age western based on the incredible true story of teenage madam that served the migrant farming communities of the midwest.
Aleksandar Marinovich has stepped on board to help produce the film. Currently we are raising money to finance the film with a goal of shooting in September, 2016.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The Sundance Intensive was an amazing and immersive experience. The writing techniques I learned during the two days will be crucial as I dive into the next draft of my screenplay entitled “Sophia/Gordita”. Through this workshop, I feel confident to tackle the issues of my screenplay and to dig deeper into motivations that drive my lead character, Sophia.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Patricia Cardoso and Ligiah Villalobos were incredibly generous to offer their guidence and direction on my screenplay “Sophia/Gordita”. Their feedback, although at times challenging, pushed me to dig deeper into the character of Sophia. What really drives her to make the choices in act one that sends her life into a downward spiral during the subsequent acts? As I work through these issues, the outcome will hopefully be a character that no one has ever seen before on the screen, an anti-hero for a new generation.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I plan on doing another rewrite utilizing the tools and techniques I learned from the Intensive. After the next draft, I will get more feedback from my producer and my film collective, Vices of Reason. Once I get a draft that I’m comfortable with, I’m going to get the script in the hands of anyone that’s willing to read it as well as continue to raise money to finance the film.
Vivian Tse
Project: "These Animals"
Vivian Tse is a filmmaker making both narrative and documentary films. She was a Colonist at the 2013 Nantucket Screenwriting Colony with her feature script "Joe Boy," which was also selected for the 2014 Ifp Transatlantic Partners Program. Tse participated in the 2014 Pov Hackathon with the transmedia documentary film "The Angola Project." Originally from San Francisco, she graduated from the University of Southern California.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"These Animals" is the story of an astronaut's last year on Earth after she agrees to crew a one-way mission to Mars. It's about what the last year of someone's life would be like if she made a decision with stakes that high, what happens to her family and the people around her, the people she loves and who love her.
We're currently in the development stage, trying to put the financing together. Sundance and the A3 foundation was kind enough to give us a grant. And we're in post on a short version of the project which we shot late last year.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
It took a bit of processing but the most rewarding lesson, or at least the one that stuck with me most, was using yourself to dig deeper into your character's journey. Which sounds obvious and certainly its something you're already doing as a writer with everything you write, but you can always go deeper. learning that there is always more to dig up, more of you to add, which is horrifying and invigorating at the same time.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The advisors were amazing. They're very passionate - it's great. i found it invaluable, even when I didn't agree with the notes. it lets you know how people are reading, understanding and thinking about your story. their perspective was so helpful and it helps to look at my characters and my story in a new way. writing can be very isolating so it's always great to talk to someone who is doing what you're doing. and they share their war stories, telling you to reimagine a scene because they did something similar and it went to shit so don't forget to think about this or that, or that space ships are expensive so maybe try to stay out of a ship as a location. i don't have any space ships in the film but you get my point.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
A re-write for one, casting, financing the rest of the film. Keep pushing forward, hustling, like everyone does, until you make your film.
Diego Velasco & Carolina Paiz
Project: "Los Invadidos"
Diego Velasco and Carolina Paiz, a husband and wife writing team, are currently working on "Los Invadidos," a thriller which Velasco will also direct.
Writer/director Diego Velasco was born in the Us and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Diego’s short, "Cédula Ciudadano," got him invited into the Fox Searchlab program after winning the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival. In 2003, Diego moved to Los Angeles and formed Open Studios with his wife, a production company meant to make the films they wanted to see in the world. In 2010, Diego made his feature debut with "La Hora Cero" (The Zero Hour). Set in Caracas during the 24-hours of a controversial medical strike, the film followed La Parca, a tattooed hit-man, as he takes an elite hospital hostage in an attempt to save his wounded girlfriend and her child. The film became the highest grossing Venezuelan film of its time. It has won over 35 awards at International festivals and secured distribution in five continents. Currently it has been optioned for an English language remake. In November of 2011, Diego was featured as one the Ten Mover and Reshapers of Latin American Cinema by Variety Magazine.
Growing up in Guatemala during the civil war, Carolina Paiz spent much of her time indoors, reading and watching television, escapes which later provided the foundation for her career as a writer for film and TV. At 15, she left Guatemala for Kent, a boarding school in Connecticut, where she was the first non- native English speaker to be awarded the Robert S. Hillyard award for her achievements in creative writing. Carolina went on to study English and Latin American Studies at Tulane University. The short stories she wrote there were later published by the Caribbean Writer. One of these, Sleep Comes Suddenly, was honored with the Canute A. Brodhurst Award. In 2006, she landed a position as a staff writer on ABC’s "Grey’s Anatomy." She later went on to write on NBC’s "Lipstick Jungle," CBS’s "The Defenders," Fox’s "Gang Related" and currently, Fox’s "Runner." She also developed a series for Fox, "Queen Of the South," based on the hugely successful Spanish novel. Between television projects, Carolina co- wrote and produced the Venezuelan feature "La Hora Cero," the highest grossing Venezuelan film in history.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
The film follows a couple that has just lost their only child and now find themselves on different sides of the spiritual debate. They’re forced to face their problems when they inherit a remote farm in the Venezuelan plains. Hoping for a new start, they soon learn the farm has been invaded by squatters and that there’s more to reality than what you can see…
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The first day was revelatory. By doing exhaustive and highly personal writing exercises that we then shared with the entire class, we both realized that we hadn't fully tapped into our own fears and desires in writing the characters in our feature. We realized there was far more of us in these characters than we'd anticipated and that embracing that would actually deepen them. Rewriting the script now, the characters have come to life by simply putting ourselves in their shoes.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Our advisors were completely different and had very different points of view on the script, yet both sets of notes complimented each other quite well at the end of the day. Their points of view were enlightening. We had exhausted our resources by asking for notes from every trusted friend and colleague that we knew, and we'd gotten to the point we were afraid they'd stop taking our calls for fear that we'd make them read the script again. We were desperate for fresh eyes from people that didn't know us, didn't know the project, and had no emotional stake in any of it. But what made it truly amazing was the fact that we got to dive in with such skilled writers, and such generous people, and that they truly took the time to give us deep and insightful notes.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
We are currently rewriting the script as per what we've learned and hope to begin our search for financing soon!
- 4/6/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Sony Pictures has extended its offer for free identity theft prevention services beyond its employees to members of the Screen Actors Guild, and two other unions covering writers and directors.
In a letter sent Friday evening, the studio acknowledged its “widely reported” hack, also indicating that “compromised data may include certain personally identifiable information about current and former employees of Sony and Spe affiliated companies. This potentially includes SAG-aftra members who have worked or are working on Sony productions.”
Utilizing the same service offered to its staffers, Sony will pay for one year of ID monitoring services for guild members...
In a letter sent Friday evening, the studio acknowledged its “widely reported” hack, also indicating that “compromised data may include certain personally identifiable information about current and former employees of Sony and Spe affiliated companies. This potentially includes SAG-aftra members who have worked or are working on Sony productions.”
Utilizing the same service offered to its staffers, Sony will pay for one year of ID monitoring services for guild members...
- 12/19/2014
- by Matt Donnelly
- The Wrap
While it seemed for a while that the feud between Lil' Kim and Nicki Minaj had reached some sort of détente, tensions appear to be flaring yet again. Earlier this week, a mere 48-hours after Beyoncé dropped her Nicki-assisted "Flawless" remix, Lil' Kim released her own remix of the remix in hopes of setting a few things straight. After Nicki's line proclaiming herself "the queen of rap," Lil' Kim cuts in, spitting: "Am I trippin' or did this ho just say my name? / Queen of rap? F--k outta here / Queen's back, f--k outta here / Time to get this rap bitch up outta here." (She also replaced all of the Nicki selfies on the cover with her own photos, continuing her trend of declaring war via Photoshop).And the brawl isn't over yet: Today, Lil' Kim released yet another track called Identity Theft that takes aim at female rappers...
- 8/7/2014
- by Anna Silman
- Vulture
A new clip for Jason Bateman's directorial debut Bad Words has been released.
Written by Andrew Dodge, the comedy follows Guy Trilby (Bateman), a 40-year-old man who discovers a loophole in a national spelling bee and decides to win the competition.
In the clip, Guy is seen chatting with one of the spelling bee competitor (Rohan Chand), who becomes an unlikely ally.
The movie also stars Kathryn Hahn as a reporter assigned to find Guy's true motivation. Allison Janney, Rachael Harris, Philip Baker Hall and Ben Falcone are also featured in the cast.
Bad Words was shown at the Toronto Film Festival in September.
Back in November, it was announced that Bateman will direct and star in The Family Fang, a comedy also starring Nicole Kidman.
Bateman is known for his roles in Arrested Development, Horrible Bosses and Identity Theft.
Bad Words comes to Us cinemas on March 28. No UK date has been announced.
Written by Andrew Dodge, the comedy follows Guy Trilby (Bateman), a 40-year-old man who discovers a loophole in a national spelling bee and decides to win the competition.
In the clip, Guy is seen chatting with one of the spelling bee competitor (Rohan Chand), who becomes an unlikely ally.
The movie also stars Kathryn Hahn as a reporter assigned to find Guy's true motivation. Allison Janney, Rachael Harris, Philip Baker Hall and Ben Falcone are also featured in the cast.
Bad Words was shown at the Toronto Film Festival in September.
Back in November, it was announced that Bateman will direct and star in The Family Fang, a comedy also starring Nicole Kidman.
Bateman is known for his roles in Arrested Development, Horrible Bosses and Identity Theft.
Bad Words comes to Us cinemas on March 28. No UK date has been announced.
- 2/16/2014
- Digital Spy
At one point in her first time hosting Saturday Night Live, Melissa McCarthy donned a curly mullet wig and dumped an entire bottle of ranch dressing on her face, thus signaling how far she was willing to go for a joke. McCarthy is a force. She has an utterly unique delivery, and her sincerity and intensity can elevate good material to the level of greatness. It needs to be used in service of material that deserves it, though. Movies like Identity Theft proved that she's bankable, even when her physicality and willingness to go there pretty much comprise the entire project. In last night's SNL, her third outing as host, nearly every sketch McCarthy appeared in was built around her — starring vehicles assisted by the cast. Mostly, the material was strong enough for her to handily carry it across, but when it wasn't — holy crap.Despite the presence of...
- 2/2/2014
- by Joe Berkowitz
- Vulture
The stars of ‘The Real Housewives Of Atlanta’ sat down for something Nene Leakes called ‘pillow talk’ and it turned ugly incredibly fast. Do you think Phaedra should be angry with Apollo for punching Kenya Moore’s friend?
It all started when Kenya Moore got into a heated discussion with fellow party-goer, Natalie Williams, during the Jan. 26 episode of Rhoa. When Kenya started walking towards Natalie, that’s when her husband Christopher Williams, stood up to defend his wife by grabbing Kenya’s arm. This is when things get really bad. Kenya’s friend Brandon DeShazer decides to step in and defend Kenya’s honor and next thing you know there’s a brawl!
Phaedra Park’s Husband Apollo Nida’s Violent Attack During ‘Rhoa’
But how does Phaedra’s hubby Apollo Nida get involved? That’s a good question. Apollo, who has just been arrested on bank fraud charges,...
It all started when Kenya Moore got into a heated discussion with fellow party-goer, Natalie Williams, during the Jan. 26 episode of Rhoa. When Kenya started walking towards Natalie, that’s when her husband Christopher Williams, stood up to defend his wife by grabbing Kenya’s arm. This is when things get really bad. Kenya’s friend Brandon DeShazer decides to step in and defend Kenya’s honor and next thing you know there’s a brawl!
Phaedra Park’s Husband Apollo Nida’s Violent Attack During ‘Rhoa’
But how does Phaedra’s hubby Apollo Nida get involved? That’s a good question. Apollo, who has just been arrested on bank fraud charges,...
- 1/27/2014
- by Chloe Melas
- HollywoodLife
Wow Kenya, tell us what you really think! Kenya Moore went on a nasty Twitter rampage against her ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ co-star Phaedra Parks, whose husband was charged with bank fraud and identity theft on Jan. 24.
Kenya Moore has never been shy about expressing her opinions on, well, anything, but the Real Housewives of Atlanta star’s vicious Twitter attack on her embattled co-star Phaedra Parks took things to a whole new level of nasty.
Kenya Moore Slams Phaedra Parks For Bank Fraud
On Jan. 24, Phaedra’s husband Apollo Nida was charged with bank fraud and identity theft. He allegedly created fake companies, enabling him to access databases to find individuals to rip off, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. He also allegedly opened fake bank accounts under those individuals’ real names, and funneled stolen U.S. Treasury checks and auto loan proceeds into those accounts.
Phaedra Dishes Porsha
Apollo...
Kenya Moore has never been shy about expressing her opinions on, well, anything, but the Real Housewives of Atlanta star’s vicious Twitter attack on her embattled co-star Phaedra Parks took things to a whole new level of nasty.
Kenya Moore Slams Phaedra Parks For Bank Fraud
On Jan. 24, Phaedra’s husband Apollo Nida was charged with bank fraud and identity theft. He allegedly created fake companies, enabling him to access databases to find individuals to rip off, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. He also allegedly opened fake bank accounts under those individuals’ real names, and funneled stolen U.S. Treasury checks and auto loan proceeds into those accounts.
Phaedra Dishes Porsha
Apollo...
- 1/27/2014
- by HL Intern
- HollywoodLife
What started as an innocent pajama party escalated into an ugly fistfight - one that looks to have enduring implications - on Sunday's The Real Housewives of Atlanta. NeNe Leakes organized a "Pillow Talk" relationship party as a sort of fun, free couples counseling session for the wives and their significant others. Random "How well do you know your mate?" questions were asked, but things began to get heated after Kenya Moore and her best friend, Brandon, arrived an hour late, and all hell began to break loose when the question "Would you judge your husband if he looked at another woman?...
- 1/27/2014
- by Wade Rouse
- PEOPLE.com
Scott Thorson, Liberace’s famous ex-lover who penned the inspiration for HBO’s hit film Behind the Candelabra, has been sentenced to 8-20 years in prison.
Scott Thorson Charged With Identity Theft And Burglary
Thorson, 54, was arrested in November, 2013, after failing to appear in Nevada court for previous charges. In February, 2013, Thorson was arrested for burglary and identity theft and admitted to using meth. As part of his probation deal, he vowed to stay sober, but failed two drug tests and was instructed to attend a substance abuse program. After skipping the court ordered rehab and missing a court date, Thorson, real name Jess Marlow, is now back in prison. The judge had warned him that he would not be given any more chances, and Thorson reportedly failed yet another drug test recently, exhausting the judge’s patience and earning himself the 8-20 year sentence.
Thorson’s legal problems have attracted media attention,...
Scott Thorson Charged With Identity Theft And Burglary
Thorson, 54, was arrested in November, 2013, after failing to appear in Nevada court for previous charges. In February, 2013, Thorson was arrested for burglary and identity theft and admitted to using meth. As part of his probation deal, he vowed to stay sober, but failed two drug tests and was instructed to attend a substance abuse program. After skipping the court ordered rehab and missing a court date, Thorson, real name Jess Marlow, is now back in prison. The judge had warned him that he would not be given any more chances, and Thorson reportedly failed yet another drug test recently, exhausting the judge’s patience and earning himself the 8-20 year sentence.
Thorson’s legal problems have attracted media attention,...
- 1/24/2014
- Uinterview
The "Entourage" movie could be derailed ... because of Identity Theft!TMZ has obtained a cease and desist letter -- sent to Warner Bros. -- demanding that the studio make No reference to Vinnie Chase, the main character played by Adrian Grenier. The man making the demand -- one Vincent Chase.Who knew ... Vc is a real guy -- a longtime Hollywood acting coach who's been teaching actors for more than 50 years. He reportedly met "Entourage" Exec.
- 11/22/2013
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
With ongoing problems between Booth and Brennan, "Bones" really ought to go to couples' counseling. A murder is of course the best way to do it! That's the basis of the investigation in Monday's (Sept. 23) episode, "The Cheat in the Retreat."
This also gives the show a chance to trot out undercover alter egos, Tony and Roxie. They're very loud and entertaining versions of Booth (David Boreanaz) and Brennan (Emily Deschanel).
Although it would be mean to ruin any of the surprises around those two, here are five "Bones" spoilers to prepare you for the rest of the episode.
1. Did you know that you can consider a bobcat to be just "a cat named Bob"? That's what the animal control person says shortly before some non-feline remains are found in a back alley.
2. Sometimes, racial profiling hurts not the profiled person but the one with that person. Cam (Tamara Taylor...
This also gives the show a chance to trot out undercover alter egos, Tony and Roxie. They're very loud and entertaining versions of Booth (David Boreanaz) and Brennan (Emily Deschanel).
Although it would be mean to ruin any of the surprises around those two, here are five "Bones" spoilers to prepare you for the rest of the episode.
1. Did you know that you can consider a bobcat to be just "a cat named Bob"? That's what the animal control person says shortly before some non-feline remains are found in a back alley.
2. Sometimes, racial profiling hurts not the profiled person but the one with that person. Cam (Tamara Taylor...
- 9/20/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Every family has one. It is amazing to witness unique physical traits handed down the family line. But when a relative exhibits behavioral characteristics of a more malevolent manner, it raises an age-old debate with an unsettling twist: could nature have produced an evil mutation or has nurture created a monster? From ID Premiering Wednesday, August 28 at 9 Pm E/P, Investigation Discovery’s new series Evil Kin examines families unraveled by the cruel conduct of a black sheep. Murder. Abuse. Cult activity. Mind games. Identity theft. Even incest. Every town has “that family” that incites fear as much as it fuels morbid curiosity. Whether it’s siblings from hell, the spawn of Satan, or an entire household of horrors, it’s...
- 8/21/2013
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
Once Sherlock Holmes comes back from the dead in "Sherlock" Season 3, he will have to deal with a new adversary. Lars Mikkelsen will play the nefarious Charles Augustus Magnussen.
The announcement came via the Twitter account of Sue Vertue, one of the "Sherlock" executive producers. Posted on Monday (July 29), the short bit of casting reads:
"Sherlock's new nemesis - introducing Lars Mikkelsen as Charles Augustus Magnussen."
Vertue attached the photo of Mikkelsen seen above. It's safe to say this will be a rather creepy villain for "Sherlock."
Mikkelsen is a well-known star in his native Denmark -- he recently starred in the international critical success, "Borgen." In the United States, however, many are more likely to know the actor as the brother of "Hannibal" star, Mads Mikkelsen.
Who is this Charles Augustus Magnussen? While a character of that exact name exists in the original literature, there is a similarly named villain,...
The announcement came via the Twitter account of Sue Vertue, one of the "Sherlock" executive producers. Posted on Monday (July 29), the short bit of casting reads:
"Sherlock's new nemesis - introducing Lars Mikkelsen as Charles Augustus Magnussen."
Vertue attached the photo of Mikkelsen seen above. It's safe to say this will be a rather creepy villain for "Sherlock."
Mikkelsen is a well-known star in his native Denmark -- he recently starred in the international critical success, "Borgen." In the United States, however, many are more likely to know the actor as the brother of "Hannibal" star, Mads Mikkelsen.
Who is this Charles Augustus Magnussen? While a character of that exact name exists in the original literature, there is a similarly named villain,...
- 7/29/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Although we are just halfway through the year, our forum posters are already buzzing about possible Razzie Awards contenders for the worst movies and performances of 2013. Join in their lively discussion here. Pictures that have already hit with a splat include "After Earth," "The Big Wedding," "The Hangover 3," "Hansel and Gretel," "Identity Theft" and "Movie 43." Our posters are eagerly awaiting Wednesday's release of "The Lone Ranger" as well as the upcoming "Grown Ups 2" which stars Razzies darling Adam Sandler. Over the years, Sandler has won six of his 17 Razzie races, including back-to-back Worst Actor victories for "Jack and Jill"/"Just Go For It" (2011) and "That's My Boy" (2012). And many of his film follies have featured in the annual Razzie rosters of Worst Picture. Subscribe to Gold Derby's free email aler...
- 7/2/2013
- Gold Derby
Melissa McCarthy is not only a phenomenal actress, she's also an amazing role model. A fact that's easily proven by her classy response to Rex Reed's scathing review in of the star in The New York Observer for her performance in Identity Theft, in which he described the funnygal as a "hippo," "tractor-sized" and called her "a gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese and obnoxious with equal success." No, seriously. The Bridesmaids beauty had not addressed the cruel comments until now—telling The New York Times she was concerned about the criticism not because of its individual impact, but because of our...
- 6/13/2013
- E! Online
While everyone eagerly awaits the return of "Arrested Development" (the series will premiere on Netflix May 26!), two of the show's biggest stars -- Jason Bateman and Will Arnett -- took the time to work on their blossoming bromance.
The two hunks walked around New York City yesterday holding hands and enjoying the warm weather. Dressed casually in trousers, T-shirts, sneakers and sunglasses, the two seemed to be enjoying each other's company ... all in good fun, of course, since after a few minutes of walking hand in hand they let go and smiled knowingly to the cameras.
Oh, if only it were true!
Bateman and Arnett, who play brothers on "Arrested Development," have both become big stars since the cult hit series wrapped (seemingly forever) seven years ago. Bateman, 44, starred most recently in "Identity Theft" and "Disconnect," and is working on a sequel to another fan favorite -- "Horrible Bosses 2.
The two hunks walked around New York City yesterday holding hands and enjoying the warm weather. Dressed casually in trousers, T-shirts, sneakers and sunglasses, the two seemed to be enjoying each other's company ... all in good fun, of course, since after a few minutes of walking hand in hand they let go and smiled knowingly to the cameras.
Oh, if only it were true!
Bateman and Arnett, who play brothers on "Arrested Development," have both become big stars since the cult hit series wrapped (seemingly forever) seven years ago. Bateman, 44, starred most recently in "Identity Theft" and "Disconnect," and is working on a sequel to another fan favorite -- "Horrible Bosses 2.
- 5/17/2013
- by Liat Kornowski
- Huffington Post
Identity theft! Cyber bullying! Runaway teens doing lurid cam shows! This ambitious, multi-storied, state-of-us-all ensemble drama plumbs our fears of the plugged-in now more stridently than local news in TV sweeps. While well-crafted and at times moving, screenwriter Andrew Stern's cautionary tales can't help but feel behind the curve, the news they're so urgently sharing already fully absorbed by the culture. They still build some power, especially the central story of a misfit teen (Jonah Bobo) getting catfished by a couple of bullies—and then the inevitable shame of a 15-year-old's nude pix getting shared all over his high school. With tenderness and economy, Stern and director Henry-Alex Rubin humanize all parties, especially the bullies and the father of the poor, pranked k...
- 4/12/2013
- Village Voice
Universal has announced Seth Gordon’s Identity Thief for Blu-Ray in June. The film stars Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy.
Seth Gordon is one of the only R-rated comedy directors that I absolutely cannot stand. Usually I’m one of the biggest suckers for R-rated comedy, because I’m easily amused when it comes to vulgar and inappropriate comedy. Just throw in some rude humor or some easy jokes and I’ll be rolling on the floor.
Apparently that doesn’t work with Seth Gordon, because he has now made two back-to-back R-rated comedies that I have deemed far from funny and mostly disappointing, especially when given the cast that he’s able to work with.
Identity Thief doesn’t fail because of Bateman or McCarthy. It instead fizzles out because of Gordon and his failure to capture comedy in the right moments and instead focusing on reoccurring gags that...
Seth Gordon is one of the only R-rated comedy directors that I absolutely cannot stand. Usually I’m one of the biggest suckers for R-rated comedy, because I’m easily amused when it comes to vulgar and inappropriate comedy. Just throw in some rude humor or some easy jokes and I’ll be rolling on the floor.
Apparently that doesn’t work with Seth Gordon, because he has now made two back-to-back R-rated comedies that I have deemed far from funny and mostly disappointing, especially when given the cast that he’s able to work with.
Identity Thief doesn’t fail because of Bateman or McCarthy. It instead fizzles out because of Gordon and his failure to capture comedy in the right moments and instead focusing on reoccurring gags that...
- 4/7/2013
- by Jeremy Lebens
- We Got This Covered
Nothing gets more sci-fi that than cloning. In fact, it’s something that science is on the verge of right now; and while they may only be experimenting with animals, what if they were to cross that line and start cloning humans? In the new British drama Orphan Black, it explores how cloning just one person can create a ripple-effect ensnaring all those within its path.
With the first few minutes of the first episode, viewers are introduced to Sarah (Tatiana Maslany), who watches her doppelganger Beth jump to her death. It is not enough that Sarah runs into someone who looks like her identical twin, but watching Beth voluntarily take her own life in such a brutal fashion is even more shocking. Yet Sarah did not know her. Sarah, however, is a pragmatist and she seizes the opportunity to exploit Beth’s identity for her own purposes. If she...
With the first few minutes of the first episode, viewers are introduced to Sarah (Tatiana Maslany), who watches her doppelganger Beth jump to her death. It is not enough that Sarah runs into someone who looks like her identical twin, but watching Beth voluntarily take her own life in such a brutal fashion is even more shocking. Yet Sarah did not know her. Sarah, however, is a pragmatist and she seizes the opportunity to exploit Beth’s identity for her own purposes. If she...
- 3/28/2013
- by Tiffany Vogt
- The TV Addict
A Good Day to Die Hard has won the number one spot on the Us box office, knocking last weekend's number one film Identity Theft to second place with $23.43m.
The latest instalment in the popular Bruce Willis franchise managed to earn $25 million in its debut weekend, 25 years after the premiere of the original Die Hard film.
Nicholas Sparks romance Safe Haven also debuted strongly at number three with $21.43m, while animated family film Escape From Planet Earth came in at four with $16.06m in sales.
Horror rom-com Warm Bodies dropped from second place to number five with $9 million, but still managed to take in more than newcomer Beautiful Creatures, which came in at number six with $7.46m.
Side Effects slipped from third to seventh place with 6.307m, followed by Oscars contender Silver Linings Playbook in eighth place with $6.08m. Its total gross so far is $98.46m.
Hansel and Gretel...
The latest instalment in the popular Bruce Willis franchise managed to earn $25 million in its debut weekend, 25 years after the premiere of the original Die Hard film.
Nicholas Sparks romance Safe Haven also debuted strongly at number three with $21.43m, while animated family film Escape From Planet Earth came in at four with $16.06m in sales.
Horror rom-com Warm Bodies dropped from second place to number five with $9 million, but still managed to take in more than newcomer Beautiful Creatures, which came in at number six with $7.46m.
Side Effects slipped from third to seventh place with 6.307m, followed by Oscars contender Silver Linings Playbook in eighth place with $6.08m. Its total gross so far is $98.46m.
Hansel and Gretel...
- 2/17/2013
- Digital Spy
Melissa McCarthy -- box-office queen!
The "Bridesmaids" scene-stealer adds a new title to her belt. Her comedy, "Identity Theft," co-starring Jason Bateman, debuted to No. 1 with a $36.6 million opening.
Despite Nemo, "Identity Theft" rose to the top beating previous weekend's box-office champ, "Warm Bodies," which fell to No. 2 with $11.5 million.
The zombie-romance starring Nicholas Hoult and Theresa Palmer has raised its domestic total to $36.7 million.
Related Posts:
"Warm Bodies" Movie Review
Interview with Nicholas Hoult
Interview with Teresa Palmer
Interview with Rob Corddry
Interview with Dave Franco
Interview with Analeigh Tipton
Coming in at No. 3 was the weekend's other new wide release, Steven Soderbergh's "Side Effects." Starring Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Rooney Mara, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, "Side Effects" was billed to be Soderbergh's last theatrical film. So go watch it!
Related Posts:
"Side Effects" Movie Review
Interview with Jude Law
Interview with Rooney Mara
Interview with Catherine Zeta-Jones
Interview...
The "Bridesmaids" scene-stealer adds a new title to her belt. Her comedy, "Identity Theft," co-starring Jason Bateman, debuted to No. 1 with a $36.6 million opening.
Despite Nemo, "Identity Theft" rose to the top beating previous weekend's box-office champ, "Warm Bodies," which fell to No. 2 with $11.5 million.
The zombie-romance starring Nicholas Hoult and Theresa Palmer has raised its domestic total to $36.7 million.
Related Posts:
"Warm Bodies" Movie Review
Interview with Nicholas Hoult
Interview with Teresa Palmer
Interview with Rob Corddry
Interview with Dave Franco
Interview with Analeigh Tipton
Coming in at No. 3 was the weekend's other new wide release, Steven Soderbergh's "Side Effects." Starring Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Rooney Mara, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, "Side Effects" was billed to be Soderbergh's last theatrical film. So go watch it!
Related Posts:
"Side Effects" Movie Review
Interview with Jude Law
Interview with Rooney Mara
Interview with Catherine Zeta-Jones
Interview...
- 2/11/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
"Identity Theft" snow-plowed through an East Coast blizzard Friday and took in $11.2 million at the box office in its first day of release. That puts the Universal comedy starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman on track for an eye-popping $35 million weekend. Hitting that number would be impressive, as prerelease projections by analysts had the film coming in with $25 million for the three days. Friday's bad weather forced the AMC and Regal theater chains to close locations in several New England states and surely kept some potential moviegoers home. Also...
- 2/9/2013
- by Todd Cunningham
- The Wrap
It's been a rough few weeks for Jimmy Kimmel. Sure, his move to 11:30 is a big deal in late-night, but bear in mind it didn't come without Matt Damon hijacking the whole damn show. And now, in a move straight out of her upcoming flick, "Identity Theft," Melissa McCarthy has proven that life imitates art when she steals Kimmel's identity and makes it all her own.
The "Bridesmaids" breakout and Oscar nominee slapped on a suit, tie, and wig to remind us that Jimmy Kimmel is Totally Replacable. Okay, sure, it's for a sketch-within-the-show, but -- no offense, Jimmy -- this is something we could watch every night. No, really, give this gal a show! (Oh, she has one? And it's called "Mike & Molly"? Okay, great we'll check that out.)
P.S. Is it fair to say that Melissa McCarthy wears a suit extraordinarily well? Because she looks like...
The "Bridesmaids" breakout and Oscar nominee slapped on a suit, tie, and wig to remind us that Jimmy Kimmel is Totally Replacable. Okay, sure, it's for a sketch-within-the-show, but -- no offense, Jimmy -- this is something we could watch every night. No, really, give this gal a show! (Oh, she has one? And it's called "Mike & Molly"? Okay, great we'll check that out.)
P.S. Is it fair to say that Melissa McCarthy wears a suit extraordinarily well? Because she looks like...
- 2/6/2013
- by Eliot Glazer
- NextMovie
Identity theft is no laughing matter, but not in the case of Seth Gordon's comedy Identity Thief. In the film, Jason Bateman plays Sandy Bigelow Patterson, a loving husband and father, who's identity is stolen by the deceptively innocent-looking Melissa McCarthy. Bateman takes a trip to the Sunshine State to try and seek revenge, but little does he know that it's a trip more wild than he would have ever imagined, or liked. During the world premiere of Identity Thief at Westwood Village Theatre on Monday night, the film's cast shared their experiences of being on the hilarious set. Photos: This Is
read more...
read more...
- 2/5/2013
- by Stephanie Chan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Melissa McCarthy found a clever way to promote her upcoming movie "Identity Theft" with Jason Bateman: by stealing Jimmy Kimmel's identity.
On Monday night's episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," McCarthy showed just how easy it is to swipe someone's ID by heading down to the gift shop and doing her best Kimmel impersonation. Watch what happens in the clip above.
"Identity Theft" hits theaters Feb. 8, 2013.
On Monday night's episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," McCarthy showed just how easy it is to swipe someone's ID by heading down to the gift shop and doing her best Kimmel impersonation. Watch what happens in the clip above.
"Identity Theft" hits theaters Feb. 8, 2013.
- 2/5/2013
- by Katla McGlynn
- Huffington Post
The lovely folks at Way to Blue have created this rather fabulous infographic looking at the Super Bowl and specifically which movie trailer / TV spots that were shown on Us television had the most buzz around them. Using various clever tools, they’ve been able to work out which movies people are most looking forward to.
Movies included in the graphic are: Snitch (Dwayne Johnson’s new movie), Star Trek Into Darkness, Iron Man 3, Fast and Furious 6, The Lone Ranger, Identity Theft, Oz The Great and the Powerful and World War Z. In the study we can see Twitter buzz + growth from the previous day, and whether the discussion was both positive and negative. They also look at the increase in Facebook likes both before and after each TV spot aired. It’s really great to have this sort of thing presented in numbers and will show movie companies...
Movies included in the graphic are: Snitch (Dwayne Johnson’s new movie), Star Trek Into Darkness, Iron Man 3, Fast and Furious 6, The Lone Ranger, Identity Theft, Oz The Great and the Powerful and World War Z. In the study we can see Twitter buzz + growth from the previous day, and whether the discussion was both positive and negative. They also look at the increase in Facebook likes both before and after each TV spot aired. It’s really great to have this sort of thing presented in numbers and will show movie companies...
- 2/4/2013
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
It's a good week for Nicholas Hoult's zombie romcom, while Sylvester Stallone attempts to revive his career with a misfiring thriller
The start of the year is a spotty time at the box office and this weekend was one of the slower sessions of 2013. So it was a good time for Summit to unleash Warm Bodies with Nicholas Hoult. The zombie romcom went straight to the top and can enjoy one week of supremacy before it is ousted next week either by the Universal comedy Identity Theft or Steven Soderbergh's crime drama Side Effects.
That came in ahead of the return of another 80s action hero, two weeks after Arnold Schwarzenegger's limp return to action in The Last Stand. This time it was the turn of his buddy Sylvester Stallone to flex his pecs. Stallone also failed to impress as the Walter Hill crime thriller Bullet to the Head...
The start of the year is a spotty time at the box office and this weekend was one of the slower sessions of 2013. So it was a good time for Summit to unleash Warm Bodies with Nicholas Hoult. The zombie romcom went straight to the top and can enjoy one week of supremacy before it is ousted next week either by the Universal comedy Identity Theft or Steven Soderbergh's crime drama Side Effects.
That came in ahead of the return of another 80s action hero, two weeks after Arnold Schwarzenegger's limp return to action in The Last Stand. This time it was the turn of his buddy Sylvester Stallone to flex his pecs. Stallone also failed to impress as the Walter Hill crime thriller Bullet to the Head...
- 2/4/2013
- by Jeremy Kay
- The Guardian - Film News
The first trailer for Identity Thief set up the game with Jason Bateman tracking down Melissa McCarthy, a woman living the high life by stealing his identity. Now a new trailer for the film from Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon gives us even more laughs and some new plot information. In addition to the difficult task of getting McCarthy to the cops back home, there's some dangerous people in pursuit. Plus, we get a glimpse of the sidetracks that include a saucy cowboy played by Eric Stonestreet ("Modern Family"). Hopefully Gordon brings a comedy every bit as good as Horrible Bosses, or even better. Here's the first trailer for Seth Gordon's Identity Theft, originally from Apple: Unlimited funds have allowed Diana (Melissa McCarthy) to live it up near Miami, buying whatever strikes her fancy. There’s only one glitch: The ID she’s using belongs to “Sandy Bigelow Patterson...
- 12/18/2012
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
If Anything Gives Us Hope For Change In The Film Industry, It’s Melissa McCarthy In The Heat Trailer
If we had to Frankenstein together our dream movie, it would probably be Miss Congeniality, combined with Bridesmaids and starring our funniest aunt, Doreen. Obviously Hollywood has somehow gained access to our dreams (we’d be more concerned about that part, but it’s Friday!) and is using our subconscious for film fodder. How else can you explain the trailer for The Heat, a buddy cop comedy due next April featuring Sandra Bullock as a neurotic FBI agent Katerina James and Melissa McCarthy as a sloppy, raw-faced Irish detective Joyce Nelson cleaning up Boston with elaborate threats and pints of beer? This is the same industry that’s making three Smurf movies! Clearly they are mining somebody’s genius for comedy gold.
Call us cray, but it’s characters like McCarthy’s Joyce (and her Diana from Identity Theft, we’re assuming) that give us real faith the film industry...
Call us cray, but it’s characters like McCarthy’s Joyce (and her Diana from Identity Theft, we’re assuming) that give us real faith the film industry...
- 11/16/2012
- by Halle Kiefer
- TheFabLife - Movies
A by-the-book Federal agent. A take-no-prisoners Boston detective. Forced to work together to bust a drug ring. It’s the tried and true buddy-cop formula from movies like Lethal Weapon, 48 Hrs., and The Other Guys, but director Paul Feig is hoping to prove once again that the ladies can do anything as well as the guys can. In 2011, Feig helped a party of Bridesmaids led by Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy crash the box office to the tune of $169 million, trashing the notion that you need a Y-chromosome to score R-rated hilarity. In The Heat, out in April, Feig and...
- 11/16/2012
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Next year is going to be a big one for Melissa McCarthy. She'll be sharing the screen as a co-lead in Identity Theft with Jason Bateman and she'll also be joining Sandra Bullock going back to her Miss Congeniality roots for The Heat. The buddy cop comedy from Bridesmaids director Paul Feig looks like standard crime comedy fare, and Bullock and McCarthy seem to have some great chemistry. However, I wish there were some more hearty laughs to be had as not much original seems to be on display in the first trailer. It's fun to see Tom F. Wilson (Back to the Future) and Kaitlin Olson ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelpha") in small roles though. But will it be as funny as Bridesmaids? We'll find out. Watch below! Here's the first trailer for Paul Feig's The Heat originally from Apple: FBI Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is a...
- 11/16/2012
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Tags: Afternoon DelightSiaMelissa McCarthyLindsay LohanOlivia WildeIMDb
Good afternoon and happy October! Did you know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and National Anti-Bullying Awareness Month? Well, now you do.
October is National Anti-Bullying Awareness Month! You can make a Difference! Rt & Share why you care to @bullymovie
— Bully Movie(@bullymovie) October 1, 2012
Happy birthday Julie Andrews and Grey's Anatomy's Sarah Drew!
Sarah Drew as Dr. April Kepner at the Seattle Grace Mercy West softball game
Photo courtesy of ABC
Marbles Harsgrove, I mean, Melissa McCarthy stars in the comedy Identity Theft.
Sia Furler posted the below magazine article on her Facebook page with the caption “Why I should Never do interviews.” While at the opening night of the Metropolitan Opera an interviewer asked Furler, “The title of tonight's opera is The Elixir of Love. What's yours?” Furler's response? “Texting. Sad, but true. It's the modern age. If you text me back within,...
Good afternoon and happy October! Did you know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and National Anti-Bullying Awareness Month? Well, now you do.
October is National Anti-Bullying Awareness Month! You can make a Difference! Rt & Share why you care to @bullymovie
— Bully Movie(@bullymovie) October 1, 2012
Happy birthday Julie Andrews and Grey's Anatomy's Sarah Drew!
Sarah Drew as Dr. April Kepner at the Seattle Grace Mercy West softball game
Photo courtesy of ABC
Marbles Harsgrove, I mean, Melissa McCarthy stars in the comedy Identity Theft.
Sia Furler posted the below magazine article on her Facebook page with the caption “Why I should Never do interviews.” While at the opening night of the Metropolitan Opera an interviewer asked Furler, “The title of tonight's opera is The Elixir of Love. What's yours?” Furler's response? “Texting. Sad, but true. It's the modern age. If you text me back within,...
- 10/1/2012
- by Bridget McManus
- AfterEllen.com
Bateman isn't taking identity theft lying down, even if McCarthy is.
What's It About: Account rep Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) is quietly living his life in Denver until it all falls apart once his identity is stolen by Diana (Melissa McCarthy), a retail-purchasing fiend living outside Miami. With only a week left before his world crumbles, Sandy travels to Florida to bring Diana back to Colorado and, as we know from previous road trip comedies — Due Date, Planes, Trains and Automobiles — nothing is going to be easy, and in the first trailer for the movie, it looks like Bateman and McCarthy will have their fair share of car accidents and throat punches.
Why it should work:Bateman is reuniting with his Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon for Identity Theft, while McCarthy is coming off of an Oscar–nominated performance in Bridesmaids. Plus, who doesn't like a good throat punch?
all the...
What's It About: Account rep Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) is quietly living his life in Denver until it all falls apart once his identity is stolen by Diana (Melissa McCarthy), a retail-purchasing fiend living outside Miami. With only a week left before his world crumbles, Sandy travels to Florida to bring Diana back to Colorado and, as we know from previous road trip comedies — Due Date, Planes, Trains and Automobiles — nothing is going to be easy, and in the first trailer for the movie, it looks like Bateman and McCarthy will have their fair share of car accidents and throat punches.
Why it should work:Bateman is reuniting with his Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon for Identity Theft, while McCarthy is coming off of an Oscar–nominated performance in Bridesmaids. Plus, who doesn't like a good throat punch?
all the...
- 9/27/2012
- by Ryan Gowland
- Reelzchannel.com
Identity theft is serious business, unless it concerns Melissa McCarthy stealing the identity of Jason Batemen in the trailer for Identity Theft, and then it’s pretty funny.
Bateman is a normal, average guy just living his life. McCarthy is living large in Florida, buying anything and everything that catches her attention. The problem is that she’s living the high life by pretending to be Bateman’s character, and completely destroying his life in the process. When he becomes aware of her, he heads to Florida to clear his name.
McCarthy cracked me up in Bridesmaids, so I think it’s great to see her show up in another big screen venture, and Bateman has always done a good job of being the regular guy that has all the comedy happen around (or to) him. If Identity Theft has one flaw, it’s that most of the comedy seems to be physical comedy.
Bateman is a normal, average guy just living his life. McCarthy is living large in Florida, buying anything and everything that catches her attention. The problem is that she’s living the high life by pretending to be Bateman’s character, and completely destroying his life in the process. When he becomes aware of her, he heads to Florida to clear his name.
McCarthy cracked me up in Bridesmaids, so I think it’s great to see her show up in another big screen venture, and Bateman has always done a good job of being the regular guy that has all the comedy happen around (or to) him. If Identity Theft has one flaw, it’s that most of the comedy seems to be physical comedy.
- 9/27/2012
- by Marty Shaw
- Movie Cultists
Last year Jason Bateman had his identity switched in The Change-Up with Ryan Reynolds, but now he's finding it complete stolen by a woman (Melissa McCarthy) living the high life somewhere near Miami in the first trailer for Identity Thief. Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon is at the helm of this new comedy which also features Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet, Genesis Rodriguez, John Cho, Robert Patrick and Eric Stonestreet. Since the earlier part of the year is usually a dead time, this looks like it could be a refreshing comedy that will hold us over until spring rolls along in April. Watch the trailer below! Here's the first trailer for Seth Gordon's Identity Theft, originally from Yahoo: Unlimited funds have allowed Diana (Melissa McCarthy) to live it up near Miami, buying whatever strikes her fancy. There’s only one glitch: The ID she’s using belongs to “Sandy Bigelow...
- 9/26/2012
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Tomorrow the first trailer for the comedy Identity Thief starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman will arrive online, but to hold over those anticipating the first lead role for the Bridesmaids scene stealer, we have a couple of posters featuring our two co-stars. Originally the comedy from The Pursuit of Happyness writer Steve Conrad (with rewrites from The Hangover Part II scribe Craig Mazin), followed a guy who gets his identity stolen by another man, but now it will be McCarthy stealing Bateman's identity. Amanda Peet, John Cho, Eric Stonestreet and Jon Favreau also star in the film coming next February. Look! Here's the first two posters for Identity Theft from Moviefone and The Huffington Post: Unlimited funds have allowed Diana (Melissa McCarthy) to live it up near Miami, buying whatever strikes her fancy. There’s only one glitch: The ID she’s using belongs to “Sandy Bigelow Patterson” and...
- 9/26/2012
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
The Wolf Pack may get a little bigger. According to Variety, Melissa McCarthy is considering a small role in "The Hangover III." No word yet on what part McCarthy would play, nor if she even could appear due to a busy schedule that includes the television series "Mike and Molly."
Since co-starring in "Bridesmaids" last year, McCarthy has exploded. She hosted "Saturday Night Live," won an Emmy for "Mike and Molly," and filmed three highly anticipated comedies, including "This Is 40" (with Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann) and "Identity Theft" (with Jason Bateman). This summer, McCarthy reunited with "Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig for "The Heat," a buddy-cop comedy with Sandra Bullock.
Last year, Feig compared McCarthy succes to Steve Carell. "It’s these people who have been trying for a long time and working for a long time and laying the groundwork," the "Bridesmaids" director said to HitFix. "And when this opportunity hits,...
Since co-starring in "Bridesmaids" last year, McCarthy has exploded. She hosted "Saturday Night Live," won an Emmy for "Mike and Molly," and filmed three highly anticipated comedies, including "This Is 40" (with Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann) and "Identity Theft" (with Jason Bateman). This summer, McCarthy reunited with "Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig for "The Heat," a buddy-cop comedy with Sandra Bullock.
Last year, Feig compared McCarthy succes to Steve Carell. "It’s these people who have been trying for a long time and working for a long time and laying the groundwork," the "Bridesmaids" director said to HitFix. "And when this opportunity hits,...
- 9/20/2012
- by Christopher Rosen
- Huffington Post
If it feels like "47 Ronin" has been on the cusp of a release for the better part of six months, that's because it has: The Keanu Reeves film was initially set to arrive in theaters on Nov. 21, but was pushed back to Feb. 8, 2013 earlier this year. On Wednesday, Universal Pictures delayed the film again, this time to Dec. 25, 2013, a full thirteen months after it was supposed to be in theaters.
The given reason for the delay is that some reshoots and effects work still need to be completed -- "47 Ronin" will be released in 3D -- but many industry watchers have speculated that other issues are at play. Variety reporter Jeff Sneider wrote as much on Twitter:
THR reporter Borys Kit also alluded to some more egregious behind-the-scenes issues.
With "47 Ronin" moving to Dec. 25, 2013, Universal has an opening on the calendar for Feb. 8, 2013. To fill the void, the studio bumped...
The given reason for the delay is that some reshoots and effects work still need to be completed -- "47 Ronin" will be released in 3D -- but many industry watchers have speculated that other issues are at play. Variety reporter Jeff Sneider wrote as much on Twitter:
THR reporter Borys Kit also alluded to some more egregious behind-the-scenes issues.
With "47 Ronin" moving to Dec. 25, 2013, Universal has an opening on the calendar for Feb. 8, 2013. To fill the void, the studio bumped...
- 8/15/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Jordin Sparks isn't the first "American Idol" star to step away from the reality boob tube and give Hollywood a go, and she won't be the last. Her loosely biographical movie "Sparkle" — also featuring the late Whitney Houston, Mike Epps and Cee-Lo Green — is but the latest instance of an "Idol" star getting a close-up on the big screen.
The movie successes of Sparks' predecessors in "Idol" alumni-hood have been a mixed bag of total wins and, well, sheer embarrassment. So, how will the season six-winning songstress' flick fare?
Let's compare "Idol" in Hollywood notes to find out.
Jennifer Hudson
While Season 3's winner (Fantasia Barrino) has had very little luck in the Hollywood spotlight, its the seventh-placer who serves as the lodestar example of an "Idol" alum making movie magic happen for herself. In 2006, she starred in the movie musical "Dreamgirls" and took home Hollywood's highest honor, an Academy Award,...
The movie successes of Sparks' predecessors in "Idol" alumni-hood have been a mixed bag of total wins and, well, sheer embarrassment. So, how will the season six-winning songstress' flick fare?
Let's compare "Idol" in Hollywood notes to find out.
Jennifer Hudson
While Season 3's winner (Fantasia Barrino) has had very little luck in the Hollywood spotlight, its the seventh-placer who serves as the lodestar example of an "Idol" alum making movie magic happen for herself. In 2006, she starred in the movie musical "Dreamgirls" and took home Hollywood's highest honor, an Academy Award,...
- 8/14/2012
- by Amanda Bell
- NextMovie
Jon Favreau has been doing a whole lot more acting than directing these days — what with the roles in Identity Theft, Iron Man 3, and, most recently, The Wolf of Wall Street — though I can sympathize with such an undulation when things wavered last year. Cowboys & Aliens bombed, Iron Man 3 was no longer in his hands, and Magic Kingdom… just didn’t coalesce in time.
While Jersey Boys is currently on his helming mind, an interview with CraveOnline has revealed that work is not only still underway on the Disney World adventure, but that Pixar and their “brain trust” have been consulting on the story. Favreau told them Jon Lasseter — with whom he’s shared a long personal relationship — has “opened up all the resources” for he and the team, allowing them the proper time to develop the story, art concepts, and so on. It’s the same path...
While Jersey Boys is currently on his helming mind, an interview with CraveOnline has revealed that work is not only still underway on the Disney World adventure, but that Pixar and their “brain trust” have been consulting on the story. Favreau told them Jon Lasseter — with whom he’s shared a long personal relationship — has “opened up all the resources” for he and the team, allowing them the proper time to develop the story, art concepts, and so on. It’s the same path...
- 7/25/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Though director Jon Favreau has been busy, most of his work has been in front of the camera lately. Cowboys & Aliens is so last summer, and we haven't talked about his directing the NBC pilot "Revolution" from Bad Robot, because TV coverage here just isn't our bag. However, Favreau lent his voice to John Carter, had a supporting role in People Like Us and joins Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman in Identity Theft, in addition to reprising his role as Happy Hogan in Iron Man 3. Now Deadline reports Favreau has also booked a role in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street with Leonardo DiCaprio. But that's not all; the director also provided an update on Magic Kingdom that involves some collaboration with Pixar. As for The Wolf of Wall Street, the film follows a Long Island penny stockbroker who served 20 months in prison for refusing to cooperate...
- 7/25/2012
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Before he gets started directing the movie transfer of the Broadway hit musical Jersey Boys, Jon Favreau has joined the cast of the Martin Scorsese-directed The Wolf of Wall Street. He plays a securities lawyer in the drama that stars Leonardo DiCaprio. Favreau also reprises his role as Happy Hogan in Iron Man 3, the first film in the series he didn’t direct. He is executive producing the film. Favreau joined Robert Downey Jr, Don Cheadle, Kevin Feige and Iron Man 3 helmer Shane Black for Marvel’s Comic-Con panel and Favreau was welcomed like an old friend. He’s got a strong rapport with the Comic-Con set, and the big question is whether he can get them into the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as he gears up for that next directing gig. Favreau also stars with Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy in Identity Theft.
- 7/24/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Christopher Nolan concludes his Batman trilogy in typically spectacular, ambitious fashion with "The Dark Knight Rises," but the feeling of frustration and disappointment is unshakable.
Maybe that was inevitable. Maybe nothing could have met the expectations established by 2008's "The Dark Knight," which revolutionized and set the standard for films based on comic books by being both high-minded and crowd-pleasing. With Christian Bale as his tortured superhero starting from 2005's "Batman Begins," Nolan has explored the complicated and conflicting motivations of man as well as the possibility of greatness and redemption within society.
Here, as director and co-writer, he's unrelenting in hammering home the dread, the sorrow, the sense of detachment and futility of a city on the brink of collapse with no savior in sight. Gotham is under siege in ways that tonally and visually recall 9/11; what is obviously the island of Manhattan gets cut off from the outside world at one point.
Maybe that was inevitable. Maybe nothing could have met the expectations established by 2008's "The Dark Knight," which revolutionized and set the standard for films based on comic books by being both high-minded and crowd-pleasing. With Christian Bale as his tortured superhero starting from 2005's "Batman Begins," Nolan has explored the complicated and conflicting motivations of man as well as the possibility of greatness and redemption within society.
Here, as director and co-writer, he's unrelenting in hammering home the dread, the sorrow, the sense of detachment and futility of a city on the brink of collapse with no savior in sight. Gotham is under siege in ways that tonally and visually recall 9/11; what is obviously the island of Manhattan gets cut off from the outside world at one point.
- 7/16/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Untitled Asghar Farhadi Project
French actor Tahar Rahim ("A Prophet") will star opposite Marion Cotillard in the new French-language feature by Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi ("A Separation")
His first pic set outside his native Iran, details of the storyline are under wraps. Shooting kicks off in Paris in the Fall. [Source: Variety]
Twelve Years a Slave
Ruth Negga ("Misfits") and Scoot McNairy ("Monsters") are set to star in Steve McQueen's upcoming feature "Twelve Years A Slave" which also stars Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Paul Dano.
Negga will play a runaway slave while McNairy plays a circus employee. Shooting kicks off in June. [Source: The Associated Press]
Very Good Girls
Boyd Holbrook ("Higher Ground," "The Big C") have joined the cast of Naomi Foner’s "Very Good Girls" for Herrick Entertainment and Groundswell Productions
Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen play lifelong best friends both determined to lose their virginity, Holbrook will play the...
French actor Tahar Rahim ("A Prophet") will star opposite Marion Cotillard in the new French-language feature by Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi ("A Separation")
His first pic set outside his native Iran, details of the storyline are under wraps. Shooting kicks off in Paris in the Fall. [Source: Variety]
Twelve Years a Slave
Ruth Negga ("Misfits") and Scoot McNairy ("Monsters") are set to star in Steve McQueen's upcoming feature "Twelve Years A Slave" which also stars Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Paul Dano.
Negga will play a runaway slave while McNairy plays a circus employee. Shooting kicks off in June. [Source: The Associated Press]
Very Good Girls
Boyd Holbrook ("Higher Ground," "The Big C") have joined the cast of Naomi Foner’s "Very Good Girls" for Herrick Entertainment and Groundswell Productions
Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen play lifelong best friends both determined to lose their virginity, Holbrook will play the...
- 5/23/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
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